Brisbane senior coach Chris Fagan has shared an update on the status of injured key forward Eric Hipwood, with a return for the first week of September looking unlikely as the spearhead manages a calf injury.
Fagan spoke to media on Saturday morning ahead of the Lions blockbuster clash with Hawthorn tomorrow night, suggesting that Hipwood's road to recovery won't be rushed, despite the 27-year-old's importance to their contests inside 50.
"[Hipwood's return] will depends on how his injury progresses," Fagans said.
"They're saying it's a three-to-four-week injury and our medical people are usually right. That will mean, if that's the case, then he certainly won't be available for the first week of Finals.
"We'll see what happens after that, but we don't know what's going to happen after the first week of Finals either. That's just the way it is."
This season, Hipwood has struggled to kick goals as consistently as in previous years, averaging a career-low 1.1 goals per game. However, Fagan defended the impact Hipwood creates for the Lions in their forward half, having been an important cog of Brisbane's scoring chains, averaging 4.0 score involvements per game.
"He provides a contest, is dangerous around goals, he creates opportunities for others. He's got a high work rate and has been a part of our team for a long time," Fagan said.
"What he did last week was quite amazing. I know the stat sheet will show he had three possessions and people will go, 'he didn't do much', but he stayed out there for about three and a half quarters injured and gave us the contest that we needed.
"That's all we can ask of him and that's typical of Eric. He's very much a team-oriented player."
How well the Lions manage to fill the void of Hipwood remains to be seen, though the return of Kai Lohman from his calf injury after a month on the sidelines will certainly bolster the dynamism inside forward 50.
