Dane Swan suffers fractured fibula and foot in Collingwood’s loss to Sydney

COLLINGWOOD champion Dane Swan has been left to hope he hasn’t played his last game as he awaits scans on his broken leg and foot.

Collingwood's Dane Swan goes down injured during AFL match Sydney Swans v Collingwood at the SCG. Picture. Phil Hillyard

COLLINGWOOD champion Dane Swan has been left to hope he hasn’t played his last game as he awaits scans on his broken leg and foot.

The Magpies will have to try to revive their season without midfield stars Swan and Steele Sidebottom — and on Monday will learn how long the pair will be forced out.

Swan faces at least six to eight weeks on the sidelines and said he would consider retirement if forced out for the year.

“Hopefully not, but if I’m out for the year then I’ll have a think about it,” he said after arriving home from Saturday night’s 80-point disaster in Sydney.

“That’s the worst-case scenario. I’d like to get back at some stage then we’ll see how we go.

“I hope that’s not my last game. Hopefully I get back — whether that’s in six weeks or 20 weeks.”

The Magpies face Richmond at the MCG on Friday night and appear certain to also be without Steele Sidebottom, who was reported for his head-high bump on Dan Hannebery.

Hannebery took no further part in the game.

Ouch alright! Good luck @swandane in your recovery.

Picture via @scottdools #Instagram pic.twitter.com/0WG7S95GQC

— SuperFooty (AFL) (@superfooty) March 27, 2016

The contact appeared to be careless, high and to the head, meaning a potential sanction of up to three weeks.

Swan, 32, fell awkwardly in a marking contest on Saturday night, taking no further part in the game after just eight minutes.

Dane Swan is helped from the ground after seriously injuring his leg and foot. . Picture. Phil Hillyard

Pies skipper Scott Pendlebury said Swan’s absence in the midfield “definitely hurt us”.

“It’s not great to see a champion player go down so early and break his foot,” Pendlebury said.

It was a night of carnage for the Pies, who lost Swan early, were without Nathan Brown for the last quarter with hamstring tightness and had Marley Williams battling late in the game after a knock to the knee.

Alex Fasolo sent a massive scare through the Pies when he fell on his head in a marking contest in the first quarter, with Buckley saying the shock of how close he came to serious injury would have been a lot to overcome.

“The fact that he finished the game was a plus for us and I thought he kept plugging away given the shock he would have felt after believing he was in a lot of trouble there for a period,” Buckley said after the game.

Alex Fasolo fell on his head in a marking contest. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Buckley — left flummoxed by his team’s performance — hopeful Fasolo, Brown and Williams would be fit to play the Tigers.

Buckley’s team must regroup for Friday night’s blockbuster clash with Richmond at the MCG, with Pendlebury saying the poor showing leaves his side with little option but to

“go back to the basics”.

“We lost the contested footy by a lot and we’ve just really got to clean that area up,” he said. “That’s been a strength of ours for the last two years.

“If we can get that right, it gives the rest of our game a chance to flow from there.”