Will Day in the hands of trainers at training yesterday.Credit: Photo: @aflratings, X
The 2024 shoulder injury interrupted Day’s last pre-season, but he managed to be fit for the start of the 2025 campaign before suffering a serious foot injury in round four.
He hurt his navicular, a notoriously problematic injury for sportspeople and a stress injury Day had suffered once before.
Day was able to return to play late in the season but, in his second game back, he re-injured his foot when it was stomped on during the match against the Crows, inflaming the navicular bone stress.
After missing Hawthorn’s finals campaign in 2024 he was also forced to sit in the stands last September as the Hawks went on to make the preliminary final.
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The Hawks chased Essendon’s Zach Merrett, then-captain of the Bombers, in the off-season to bolster their midfield with extra class. The idea of Merrett joining a fit Day and Jai Newcombe in the midfield would have made for a vastly improved on-ball brigade on last year’s campaign.
The Hawks were unable to prise the contracted Merrett out of Essendon and have now again lost Day for at least a portion of the season.
The Hawks’ opening-round game is against the Giants on March 7.
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