Hawthorn star Josh Weddle could miss rest of home and away season with back injury

Hawthorn has been hit by a major injury to a key playmaker who might not return in time for the finals.

Hawthorn hope the early detection of a stress fracture in star playmaker Josh Weddle’s back will help him be back before the finals but not before he misses most, if not all, of the final eight games of the season.

After reporting soreness following last Saturday’s big win over North Melbourne in Launceston, the 21-year-old was sent for scans.

They revealed early stages of lumbar bone stress and Hawthorn doctor Liam West said depending on how Weddle responded to treatment, he could yet return to play in the finals series.

“We will need to take some time to deload Josh during this initial phase before we can identify just how long he will be sidelined for,” Dr West said.

“Given how early the injury was discovered, we are hopeful he can return to play before the end of the season.

Josh Weddle has a bad back injury. Picture: James Wiltshire/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“While this is obviously disappointing for Josh, our priority right now is taking a careful and cautious approach to ensure Josh makes a safe return but as quickly as possible.

“We will ensure to provide further updates on Josh’s injury as soon as we can.”

The Hawks have eight more games before finals, making Weddle’s return tight.

Originally published as Hawthorn star Josh Weddle could miss rest of home and away season with back injury