GEELONG is bracing to be without Mitch Duncan for the remainder of the home and away season after he sustained a knee injury in Friday night's win over the Western Bulldogs. 

The gun midfielder landed awkwardly on his right knee in a marking contest in the first term and failed a short fitness test on the boundary line before being subbed out of the game. 

Subsequent tests found he had suffered a PCL injury.

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"We were expecting that the injury was to Mitch’s PCL, and the scan confirmed that," Geelong’s general manager of football Simon Lloyd said.
 
“There was no other damage to Mitch’s knee. The rehabilitation timelines will be further discussed with our medical and fitness team in consultation with specialists.
 
"We will explore all available options that will allow Mitch to return as quickly and safely as possible."

Teammate Tom Hawkins earlier indicated Duncan would be facing at least two months on the sidelines. 

"I saw Mitch this morning, he seemed to think his scan came back and it was a high-grade PCL so Mitch's going to miss some footy unfortunately," Hawkins told Triple M WA. 

"He's had a wretched run the last 18 months so that's 8-10 weeks I think but every individual is different. He's really important for us, Mitch, so hopefully he gets back soon."

In better news, Hawkins was confident he'll be fit to tackle Brisbane at the Gabba on Thursday night after injuring his neck in the final term against the Dogs. 

"I should be right, I think it's one of those things that should settle down in the next 24-48 hours," he said. 

The Cats will be free to travel to Brisbane to face the Lions having been told to avoid the Melbourne area due to COVID-19 after arriving back from Adelaide following the round 13 win over Port Adelaide.