Hawthorn’s key defensive stocks have suffered another major blow, with Denver Grainger-Barras undergoing surgery for turf toe.
Grainger-Barras, the No.6 pick in the 2020 draft, is set to miss the next three months after going under the knife on Monday.
A toe injury will sideline Hawthorn’s Denver Grainger-Barras for three months.Credit: Getty Images
The Hawks already lost fellow tall backman James Blanck for the season, after sustaining an ACL rupture in last week’s intraclub match, a significant setback that saw them sign Ethan Phillips in the pre-season supplemental selection period.
Phillips, 24, is a 196-centimetre intercept defender who was set to play for Hawthorn’s VFL affiliate Box Hill, having previously made the state league’s team of the year and won the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as the competition’s best young player.
The SSP deadline was Monday, so Hawthorn will need to wait until the mid-season draft to find a reinforcement to cover the latest loss.
Grainger-Barras has struggled to earn senior opportunities, but 2024 shaped as his big chance after Blanck’s setback.
The 21-year-old West Australian is out of contract at season’s end after playing 28 games in his first three years.
More to come
