HAWTHORN star Will Day has undergone a shoulder reconstruction and is set to miss the first half of the 2026 season in a big blow for the Hawks.
The 2023 Peter Crimmins Medal winner dislocated his shoulder in a tackling drill at the Kennedy Community Centre last Thursday.
Day underwent surgery to repair his right shoulder on Monday and will start his rehabilitation program in the coming weeks.
AFL.com.au understands Day isn't expected to be available until around the club's mid-season bye in round 14 at the start of June.
Day had only just returned to full training last Monday after recovering from another bone stress injury in his foot.
After being limited to just six games in 2025 due to two separate foot injuries, following a delayed start to 2024 due to a stress fracture in his navicular bone, Day had completed his rehab across the off-season and first half of the pre-season before disaster struck last Thursday.
Day showed early last year that he is one of the premier midfielders in the League but cruelly he has been limited by injuries across every year aside from his best and fairest winning season in 2023.
Hawthorn will need the next wave of midfielders to stand up in his absence across the first half of 2026.
Cam Mackenzie and Josh Ward have been two standouts across the pre-season, while Josh Weddle and Connor Macdonald have spent more time training with the midfielders this summer.
Day missed the 2024 finals series due to a complex collarbone injury in his right shoulder area and is yet to play in September due to injuries late in each of the past two seasons.
Hawthorn will ramp up its preparations for the new campaign next month when it hosts Geelong at the club's new training base in Dingley before playing the Western Bulldogs at the Whitten Oval in the AAMI Community Series.