MELBOURNE captain Max Gawn will miss up to six weeks after scans confirmed the ruckman suffered a medial collateral ligament sprain on Friday night.
Gawn was substituted in the opening term of the Demons' 11-point loss to Brisbane at the Gabba.
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The 31-year-old underwent scans on Saturday and, in relatively good news for the Dees amid fears Gawn could be out for the long-term, they showed an MCL sprain.
"Max had scans which show a moderate-grade medial ligament injury and at this stage, we expect him to be available in four to six weeks," the Dees' general manager of AFL football performance Alan Richardson told Melbourne Media.
"Max has seen a knee specialist and is working with our medical and high-performance team to determine the best return to play rehabilitation program."
Gawn's injury was a major blow to the Dees, despite the presence of two-time All-Australian Brodie Grundy.
A strange outing in Brisbane saw the Gabba lights go out during the final term, leading to a lengthy delay.
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Melbourne stormed home once play resumed, but it fell short as it suffered its first loss of the season.
With Gawn out for at least four weeks, he will miss clashes against Sydney, West Coast, Essendon and Richmond, while the Dees' two games after that see them take on North Melbourne and Gold Coast.
