Battered Geelong star Jeremy Cameron is aiming for a quick return from his shoulder injury, with the Cats leaving the door open for a comeback before finals.
Undergoing surgery to repair the AC joint in his left shoulder, Cameron will miss at least four of the six remaining home-and-away rounds.
The 33-year-old was taken to hospital in Sydney after a brutal collision with GWS opponent Clayton Oliver in the final quarter of the Cats’ 13-point loss at Sydney Showground.
Ninth-placed Geelong (9-8) are hopeful Cameron will, at worst, miss six weeks, as they aim to return to the top six.
Cameron was just one player hurt on a night of on-field carnage for both the Cats and Giants.
Jack Henry (throat) and Tanner Bruhn (neck) were also taken to hospital but have been cleared of serious injury, while GWS youngster Phoenix Gothard dislocated his left shoulder.
The Geelong duo will be monitored during the week to assess their return-to-play timeline.
Already managing lingering soreness from a healed arm fracture, Cameron had starred as a surprise defender against the Giants before his latest injury.
The two-time Coleman Medallist fractured his right arm in last year’s grand final loss to the Brisbane Lions and still wears an arm guard.
Elsewhere, Hawthorn defender Karl Amon has undergone knee surgery in a bid to be fully fit for finals.
After managing the pain throughout the season, the third-placed Hawks (11-5) have opted to send Amon for a clean-up procedure following the club’s 64-point win over Carlton on Saturday.
Hawthorn are confident Amon will return before finals.
The 30-year-old has battled knee issues throughout his 13-year career and missed this year’s Easter Monday fixture against Geelong in round four due to cartilage irritation.
Amon had just returned to the side to help the Hawks snap Carlton’s seven-game winning streak after being managed against Melbourne the week prior.
He had 12 disposals, one mark and two tackles in the thumping win over the hot Blues in the rain at the MCG.
“This has been in consideration for a number of weeks,” Hawks football boss Rob McCartney said in a statement.
“While Karl has had some intermittent pain throughout the season, there was no further risk in him playing games.
“We expect Karl to be available for selection before finals.”
Hawthorn are hoping to regain crafty small forward Nick Watson (hamstring) against Richmond, while defender Josh Battle could be a chance to play after having his appendix removed a fortnight ago.
AAP
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