Melbourne captain Max Gawn will undergo scans on a hamstring injury suffered at training this week in what could be a devastating blow for the Demons' Round 1 plans.
The club confirmed on Friday that Gawn was forced to leave the training track at Casey Fields after sustaining the injury, with further assessment on the ailment required to understand the full extent of the setback.
“Max unfortunately had some hamstring awareness towards the end of this morning's training session,” Melbourne's GM of AFL Performance Alan Richardson told Melbourne Media.
“He will be closely monitored and assessed over the weekend. We're hopeful we will have some further clarity early next week."
Gawn has battled hamstring issues in the past, while he also missed multiple games last season due to syndesmosis and knee injuries that hampered his home and away campaign.
While the Demons lost second-string ruckman Luke Jackson in the off-season, their tall timber stocks were bolstered with the addition of dual All-Australian tall Brodie Grundy from Collingwood.
Should Gawn's latest setback rule him out of his side's Round 1 opener against the Western Bulldogs in March, Grundy will be a capable ruck option to help lead the Demons' season opener.
The Demons have recently welcomed back swingman Tom McDonald from a Lisfranc injury that kept his 2022 campaign to just 10 matches, while forward Ben Brown looks to build his fitness levels after battling a knee injury over the course of the pre-season.
Melbourne are scheduled to face the Bulldogs at the MCG on Saturday, March 18 to open their 2023 season.
