AFL news: Hawthorn star Will Day injured again, should he have played on against Adelaide Crows
COMMENT
Hawthorn has copped a crushing blow with star midfielder Will Day ruled out for the rest of the season with a recurrence of his worrying foot issues.
But a closer look at his struggles during Friday night's 14-point loss to Adelaide surely raises some question marks over why he played out the match.
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The 24-year-old Day, who missed six games in 2024 with a foot issue, was forced out of another 16 matches this season following surgery on a navicular bone after the round three clash with GWS.
He had only returned against the Blues in round 20 but picked up yet another foot injury against the Crows, with the club confirming he has another 'bone stress injury' in his foot.
Day was sent for scans in Melbourne on Saturday following the 14-point loss against Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval and revealed another navicular issue.
Will Day coming from the ground and at the airport on Saturday. Photos: Getty Images/News Corp
'We know Will has put in a mountain of work to get back to playing, and indeed performing, at the elite level and we are really disappointed for him,' Hawthorn football manager Rob McCartney said in a statement.
'The club's medical and high performance team have taken extra precautions with Will throughout his rehabilitation this year.
'This included very closely managing his workload and consulting external specialists both in Victoria and interstate to help guide his return to play timeline.
'Will is an outstanding person who has showcased an incredible amount of resilience and we know he will engage his rehab with the same attitude.
'As a club, we will obviously support Will throughout every stage of his rehabilitation and wrap our arms around him as he navigates this tough period.'
He appeared to be in a fair bit of pain on the bench. Photo: Fox Sports
There were various reports that Day had been stomped on during the game.
Day was also the subject of some fierce speculation over a possible flaunting of the rules deep in the fourth quarter when play was stopped and he was taken from the ground with apparent cramp.
But the fact Day was playing with a broken bone in his foot must paint that speculation in a different light.
The youngster was seen struggling to shake off a leg problem at various times during the game, particularly in the final term.
He also started the second half on the bench and was shown getting treatment midway through the fourth term.
And yet he continued coming back onto the ground.
Yes it was a close game and the Hawks are in a finals battle, but surely his long-term future is of paramount importance and any hint of a foot problem should have set off alarm bells.
Fox Footy commentator Jason Dunstall noted Day was on the bench after halftime, while the midfielder appeared to be favouring his right foot before he came on.
It all came after Hawthorn kicked the first five goals of the match, before the Crows responded with seven straight and held the Hawks scoreless in the second term to leave the Victorian club under the pump to start that third quarter.
'Interesting Will Day is starting on the bench second half,' Dunstall said.
'I would've thought you'd want him front and centre.'
Day getting worked on in the fourth quarter before he returned to the game. Photo: Fox Sports
Fellow commentator Garry Lyon then noticed Day returning to the bench.
'You talked about Will Day not starting in the centre bounce which we all find a little unusual,' Lyon said.
'He's just emerged from up the race.'
Anthony Hudson added: 'That will make Hawthorn fans nervous.'
Day finally entered the second half at the 16-minute mark of the third quarter and battled to play out the game, despite clearly having trouble with the foot.
'He's coming off Will Day,' Dunstall said in the fourth quarter. 'He just copped a couple of knocks there, he's spent and needs a spell.
'They'll need another effort from him late.'
Jack Ginnivan with Day in a happier moment earlier in the game. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Pick six in the 2020 draft, Day ultimately spent 71 per cent of the game on the ground, finishing with 19 disposals, nine tackles and seven clearances.
But he appeared in more discomfort the longer the game went and didn't return after going off the ground with just over three minutes remaining.
When he went off, with the commentators all focusing on cramp, Lyon said: 'It's not Will Day's fault.
'It's the umpire who should've identified 'no, you've got a cramp, get out of the road and get on with it'.'
Considering what we know now, perhaps there was more to it than simply cramp, and the situation raised eyebrows on social media.
After the news of the injury broke, journalist Ronny Lerner tweeted: 'Wow. That's extremely concerning to have two bouts of that in such quick succession. Reminds me of James Hird. Almost ended his career. Hawks have to take an extremely conservative approach with such an important player.'
Day is facing another long rehabilitation and time out of the game. Picture: NewsWire/Luis Enrique Ascui
One X user replied to Lerner: 'Foot injury management will be professional in the AFL one day.'
Another fan wrote: 'According to the morons commentating on the game it was only a cramp.'
Kane Cornes slammed Day's 'cramping' situation on AFL.com.au on Saturday morning.
'What are we doing stopping the game for cramp?' he said.
'Football is about the hardest, toughest football team wins and we are giving a team an advantage because one of their players is under prepared and can't get through.'
X user Michael Emmerson noted that, tweeting: 'Kane Cornes, love your work, but will you be apologising along with the Seven commentary team regarding Day's cramp when actually it was a serious injury?'
From where we sit, it's a fair question.
Originally published as Eyebrows raised over Hawthorn star Will Day's latest injury
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