HAWTHORN captain Emily Bates will spend an extended period on the sidelines, after scans confirmed a sternoclavicular joint injury sustained in the Hawks seven-point win over Geelong on Thursday night.
The midfielder copped a knock to the shoulder in the last few moments of the match, and was absent from her teammates' huddle post-match.
Whilst the club initially thought the star was going to be okay, further consultation on Monday confirmed the SC joint injury.
A clearer return to play timeframe will be provided in due course.
"Given the nature of the sternoclavicular joint injury, Emily will not play this week against Fremantle," High performance manager Aaron Kellett said.
"Our medical team is now investigating the best course of action for Emily moving forward, and we will provide further updates in due course."
The Hawks have been luckless with injuries this year, the club have only just regained Jas Fleming, Aileen Gilroy and Kaitlyn Ashmore in recent weeks after recovering from their respective injuries, whilst Bridie Hipwell (leg) is joining Ainslie Kemp (knee) on the sidelines for the remainder of the season.
