Will Day suffers stress fracture in foot, in doubt for round 1 clash with Essendon

Hawthorn could be without one of their biggest names for the start of the season in a huge blow for the club, with preparations already in place on how to combat the injury blow.

Hawthorn has vowed to take a “conservative approach” with Will Day after the prized midfielder suffered a foot injury at training that puts him in a race to be fit for round 1.

The Hawks on Wednesday night said scans confirmed a stress fracture in his foot after the reigning best-and-fairest winner developed discomfort ­during the morning’s session.

Day was forced to depart the track early, with his injury timeframe to be confirmed.

“Will felt some discomfort during training today, so we sent him off for scans, where they unfortunately showed a stress fracture in his foot,” Hawthorn high performance manager Peter Burge said.

“He’ll spend at least the next few weeks in a moon boot while we further assess the injury and determine the timeline for recovery.

“During this period, we will also consult with specialists to ensure we develop the best rehabilitation program for Will.

“Will is a young player that is going to have a long future at our football club, so we will be conservative in our approach to get him back on the field.”

Will Day is in doubt for round 1. Picture: Michael Klein

Day’s injury will only fast-track the club’s push to add to its midfield core this season after finding a Fab Four in 2023.

Speaking before Day’s injury, midfielder Conor Nash opened the door for more young Hawks to break into the centre square.

Sam Mitchell entered last pre-season unsure who would sit alongside Jai Newcombe in his engine room, after Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara were jettisoned by the Hawks.

Day made a successful transition from the half-back flank, while James Worpel returned to form after being pushed out to half-forward, and Nash proved himself to be a bona fide big-bodied onballer.

With that group, the Hawks ranked seventh for clearance differential and sixth for contested possession differential, while playing a low-stoppage game. The new midfield core claimed all of the top-four spots in Hawthorn’s best-and-fairest, with Day winning the award ahead of Newcombe, Nash and Worpe.

But there is still plenty of growth left in the quartet, as Newcombe (29th) was the highest ranked Hawk midfielder for 2023, based on Champion Data ranking. Nash is keen to see more youngsters push into the centre.

Conor Nash is looking forward. Picture: Michael Klein.

“This time last year we had no idea who was playing in the midfield,” the Irishman said.

“You could probably say that Jai Newcombe was the only one who was nailed on to start but everyone else was looking around at each other not sure where they fit in.

“It is a bit similar this year. We did kind of formulate a core four players there last year but you only have to look at the likes of Josh Ward, Cam McKenzie, who are itching to play as well. We need those guys to be really pushing hard, which I think they will.”

Nash said the Hawks were ready to build on their 2023 season and push towards a finals return.

The Hawks surprised some last year when they won seven games after being tipped as wooden spoon favourites and Nash said he expected more wins this season.

“Last year we jumped a lot of expectations and this year hopefully we do the same,” he said.

“Who knows where we finish. I can’t put a ceiling on it.”

Originally published as Will Day suffers stress fracture in foot, in doubt for round 1 clash with Essendon