Max Gawn to consult a surgeon after scans reveal hamstring injury is worse than initial diagnosis

MELBOURNE is bracing to be without ruckman Max Gawn for an extended period after scans reveal his hamstring injury is worse than first thought.

Max Gawn leaves the field after hurting his hamstring. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

MAX Gawn’s immediate fate sits in the hands of a hamstring surgeon.

The key Demon will consult a specialist on Monday as to whether he needs to go under the knife.

It what looms as a serious blow to Melbourne’s September hopes, scans revealed that there is “some tendon involvement” in the All-Australian’s injury sustained in Saturday’s loss to Geelong.

Initial indications were that Gawn, 25, would miss four weeks but club football boss Josh Mahoney said a longer timeline was now likely.

“The scans showed that Max’s hamstring strain had some tendon involvement and as a result he will see a surgeon to determine whether he requires surgery,” Mahoney said.

Max Gawn leaves the field after hurting his hamstring. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

“At this stage, it’s too early to determine the exact length of time that Max will miss, however with the tendon involvement, we expect his recovery to be longer than your traditional hamstring injury.”

Hamstring tendon surgery can in some cases see players out of the game for months.

Western Bulldogs big man Jordan Roughead has been unsighted this season after having surgery on his hamstring tendon in the preseason and isn’t expected to return until midyear.

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Fremantle forward Hayden Ballantyne damaged his hamstring tendon last month and had surgery with initial expectations being he could be sidelined for up to 10 weeks.

In better news for the Demons, Melbourne is optimistic that Bernie Vince will be fit to face Fremantle next Sunday after a gruesome toe injury.

Max Gawn is now expected to miss more than the four weeks the club initially forecasted. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Vince, who was making his return from a one-game suspension, received treatment on several occasions throughout Saturday’s loss to Geelong for an apparent foot issue.

It was later revealed that the 31-year-old’s foot had been stomped on during the match and he was on Sunday forced to undergo a procedure to have the nail removed from his big toe.

But the club is hopeful that with a week up his sleeve to recover, he will be fit for Round 4.

Key duo Jordan Lewis and Jesse Hogan will miss the clash with the Dockers as they continue to serve their respective three and two-week suspensions, with Hogan granted permission from the club to return to his home state of Western Australia over the weekend.

Originally published as Max Gawn to consult a surgeon after scans reveal hamstring injury is worse than initial diagnosis