AFL Injury News: Hawthorn Hawks veteran suffers fresh setback as he seeks return from ruptured Achilles tendon
Hawthorn Hawks veteran Chad Wingard has had an injury setback that would postpone his return from a ruptured Achilles tendon by at least a few weeks.
After reporting tightness, the two-time All-Australian had to sit out the rest of a VFL game on Sunday and is set to undergo more tests and scans this week. The Hawks can only hope that the issue is minor. The 30 year old will likely miss this weekend’s games but should be available after the mid-season bye in Round 15.
The setback at Box Hill City Oval followed Wingard’s fine recovery and nearing an AFL return after playing five VFL games to start 2024.
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Hawthorn Hawks key forward Mitch Lewis, who suffered a hamstring injury on Easter Monday, will make a return to the field this weekend.
Since the injury, the 25-year-old has been dealing with a knee cartilage issue that kept him from training consistently. The Hawthorn Hawks saw him fit for a workload reduction to allow him ample time to heal. The club is reportedly considering a VFL return to allow him to prove his fitness later in the week ahead of the Round 15 mid-season bye.
Lewis spent the weekend fully training and is expected to join the main group to train on Thursday before a decision on whether he plays this weekend is made as Box Hill faces Richmond's VFL side at the Swinburne Centre on Saturday.
Lloyd Meek spent the last two weeks away due to a low-grade syndesmosis injury, but is set to make a return to the field. The ruckman made progress over the weekend, and his presence in the MCG match against Richmond will provide a big boost to the “short” team.
Due to back spasms on Saturday’s win over the Giants, Ned Reeves is unlikely to be available for a while. He stayed back in Launceston on Saturday night, while the rest of the team went down to Hobart.
Hawthorn Hawks High Performance Manager Peter Burge, speaking on the fitness of some of the injured players, said that Ethan Philips, who suffered a knee injury, will be out for another week:
"He's feeling really good so this would be a quick turnaround, and I would anticipate him playing after the bye."
Other players who Burge says will be back in a week are Will McCabe (back) and Jack O’Sullivan (hamstring). About McCabe, he said:
"Will's been going really well. The back injury is fantastic. We made the call today that we're going to delay his return until after the bye, which might be a little bit frustrating but he is a first-year player and it's really important that we make sure when he's ready to play that he's absolutely ready.
"We just want to build his confidence with a couple more football sessions and then we'll bring him back into match play through the VFL."
Burge said that O'Sullivan is progressing well. He will not be on the field this weekend but will likely be there for the first game after the bye. Bailey McDonald, who flagged some hip flexor soreness, has a 50% chance of being present at the Hawthorn Hawks game this weekend depending on his test results.
Despite the slow start to the 2024 season, the Hawthorn Hawks have won five of their last six games and look set to contend in the finals.