HAWTHORN premiership midfielder Xavier Ellis has escaped a serious neck injury after a heavy collision in a VFL reserves' game on Saturday.

Ellis, 23, was wearing a neck brace just minutes into the game, but Hawks' football manager Mark Evans said scans undertaken soon after had cleared him of serious damage.

Evans said Ellis "was crunched" in a contest and hurt his neck.

"He came straight out of the game and is pretty stiff and sore, but the scans showed that there was no damage to nerves or anything like that.

"He just went to have scans and that wasn't even at a hospital.

"Its really good news. He's not injured other than he'll be really stiff and sore for a day or two and then we'll see how he is after that."