Guerra blow for Hawks
Defender Brent Guerra's finals campaign could be over before it has started
BRENT Guerra will almost certainly miss the first week of Hawthorn's finals campaign and could miss the rest of the season after injuring his hamstring in Friday night's win over West Coast.
Guerra grabbed at the high part of his left hamstring in a marking contest in the final quarter of the 25-point win before very slowly walking off the ground.
Visibly distraught on the bench, Guerra immediately iced his leg and was walking with the aid of crutches after the game.
Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson admitted the signs were not looking good for the 2008 premiership defender, who will undergo scans on the injury.
"It looks like a hamstring so we'll get that assessed during the week and see what happens," Clarkson said.
"I'm no doc but it didn't look good so he'd be very doubtful to play next week, I reckon. But we've got to see the severity of it and hopefully it is not too long. We'll get him scanned early in the week."
The injury occurred during a fast-paced final quarter in which West Coast kicked four consecutive goals to reduce a big Hawthorn margin.
Clarkson said that while ideally he would have hoped his team would emerge unscathed, it was a simple fact that players were always a chance to be injured when the team was playing for top spot on the ladder.
"We lost a soldier tonight in terms of 'Goo'. That is going to happen when you play highly-charged games like they were tonight," Clarkson said.
"We'll certainly have to replace him for the next couple of weeks I'd imagine."
Hawthorn ruckman David Hale said he felt for his teammate who faced a tough task to recover in time for the finals.
"Hopefully for his sake it's all right but it didn't look too good. He's played nearly every game this year and he is very solid for us in the back six," Hale said.
"It's hard for us to say at the moment and it is going to be tough for him."
Luke Holmesby is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter - @AFL_Luke