BRISBANE will be without Dan McStay for at least three weeks after scans revealed the key forward had suffered lateral ligament damage to his left ankle.
McStay sustained the injury in the opening quarter of Saturday night's 75-point win over West Coast, crumpling to the Gabba turf in a marking contest and leaving the field immediately.
The Lions are already missing fellow tall forward Joe Daniher for up to five more weeks after he suffered a shoulder injury against Sydney in round seven.
Brisbane high performance manager Damian Austin said follow-up scans on Monday confirmed the problem for McStay.
"Obviously he’s got a bit of ankle damage there which is an ankle sprain, so we’ll give him about three weeks," Austin said.
"We’ll hopefully get him up and moving by the end of the week."
McStay, a free agent at season's end, has been in terrific form in 2022, kicking 10 goals in the opening seven rounds, including three the week before in a big win over Sydney at the SCG.
Daniher has already started his recovery, running strongly and "spending time in the gym rehabbing that shoulder".
Eric Hipwood is available to play this weekend after recovering from his ruptured ACL, but the Lions are yet to decide whether he will return in the AFL or a VFL practice match against Gold Coast.
