HAWTHORN ruckman Max Bailey could miss as much as half of the season with a wrist injury.

The 25-year-old pulled up sore after the Hawks' 79-point win over Melbourne on Saturday night.

The injury will require surgery, and Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said the best-case scenario was a round six return.

But that would depend on the extent of the damage and the speed of Bailey's recovery, he said.

"He's had a previous fracture in that wrist, and he's just re-aggravated that fracture," Clarkson told Ten News on Wednesday night.

"They'll ascertain the severity of the injury when they get in there, but we're not expecting him to be playing before round six or seven.

"If it goes really well, it might be somewhere around that mark, and if it doesn't go so well it might be around the middle of the season."

Bailey played 16 games in 2011, finally enjoying an injury-free run after three knee reconstructions restricted him to just six matches in the first five years of his career.

He had played in all four of Hawthorn's NAB Cup matches so far this pre-season.

Mark Macgugan covers Hawks news for hawthornfc.com.au and afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_MarkM.