STAR West Coast midfielder Daniel Kerr has been forced to undergo medical treatment after being stung by a stingray in Melbourne.

The 2007 All-Australian was wading in knee-deep water at St Kilda Sea Baths following the club's 57-point loss to Hawthorn on Friday night when the stingray struck, leaving a puncture wound in his ankle.

It left Kerr screaming in pain before club doctor Rod Moore administered a pain-killing local anaesthetic.

"He felt something a bit slippery under his foot and then a sharp pain in his ankle," club spokesman Gary Stocks said.

"He thought it was a crab at first but then he quickly realised – because of the extent of the pain – that it was worse than that.

"He said he'd had a shoulder pop out, he's had shoulder surgery and other things but this was far more painful than any of that."

Stocks said Kerr was expected to recover in time to resume training next week.

But to compound the Eagles' woes, their flight back to Perth on Saturday was delayed, forcing players to wait it out at the airport.

"We've been sitting at the airport for about an hour and a half waiting to get on," Stocks said.