Hawthorn’s premiership hopes have taken a major hit, with star midfielder Will Day set to miss the rest of the season.
It has been revealed that Day has suffered further bone stress in his foot, an injury that had already caused him to miss nearly four months of action earlier this season.
Day was in just his second game back against Adelaide on Friday, however, scans following the contest have revealed the worst for the 24-year-old.
“Will Day has sustained a bone stress injury in his foot and will be sidelined for the rest of the year,” the club confirmed in a statement.
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“The 24-year-old was sent for precautionary scans in Melbourne on Saturday.
“The scans unfortunately revealed bone stress in his navicular.”
Day had left the match against the Crows late in the piece under controversial circumstances, exiting the field with suspected cramping.
The midfielder had made a clear impact since returning to the side, helping the Hawks cruise to victory over Carlton last week, before a 19-disposal, one-goal performance against Adelaide.
After entering the year as one of the premiership favourites, Hawthorn now face an uphill battle just to make the finals.
The Hawks are 5-1 with Day in the lineup in 2025, while just 8-6 in games that he misses.
Sam Mitchell’s side currently sit fifth on the ladder with 52 points, but will only sit four points ahead of ninth by round’s end, with three fixtures remaining.