Three Crows have undergone surgery following their straight sets exit from the 2025 finals series, the club has stated.
Defender Mitch Hinge was injured during the Crows' loss to Hawthorn in the semi-final, sustaining a syndesmosis during a marking contest in the second quarter, which ultimately forced him to be medically substituted from the game at half-time.
Hinge has since undergone successful surgery to address the concern, and Crows General Manager High Performance, Darren Burgess, is confident Hinge can resume full-intensity pre-season training before the new year.
Meanwhile, key forward Darcy Fogarty and ruck Reilly O'Brien are expected to undergo "minor procedures", though both are expected to return in time for the beginning of pre-season.
“Hinge will be off his legs for about four weeks now,” Burgess said.
“We'll look to integrate him into full pre-season training just before Christmas.
“Darcy will have surgery on some minor osteophytes (spurs) that have been affecting his big toe throughout the second half of the season. We're anticipating him training fully from day one of pre-season.
“And [O'Brien] will have minor arthroscopic surgery on his elbow, but it won't affect his off-season or pre-season. He'll be lifting weights within seven days of the surgery."
Fogarty had a career year in front of the goals for the Crows as their forward line thrived in a historic home-and-away season for the club, registering an 18-win season for the first time and notching the second-highest percentage in club history (139.6 per cent).
Hinge and O'Brien had slight down years, however, with Hinge averaging seven fewer disposals than his stellar 2024 season.
