Hawthorn defender Noah Mraz’s first month in the AFL has come to a painful end after suffering a lacerated kidney.
The 20-year-old reported mild abdominal pain following the 93-point win over Essendon on Saturday.
It is believed he was hurt in an incident late in the game at the MCG.
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Mraz was sent to hospital “out of an abundance of caution”, the club said on Sunday in confirming the low-grade laceration.
“Noah’s health and wellbeing is our number one priority,” Hawks doctor Liam West said.
“As soon as it became apparent that he had the abdominal pain, we arranged for him to go to hospital for further testing.
“At this stage, we don’t believe Noah will require surgery; however, he will not be available for a number of weeks.”
Mraz debuted in Hawthorn’s loss to Melbourne earlier this month before enjoying victories against Carlton, Richmond and the Bombers in the weeks since.
Meanwhile, Essendon are breathing a sigh of relief after their own impressive youngster Sullivan Robey avoided an ACL injury.
The No.9 draft pick had to be helped off after injuring his right knee in a tackle in the third quarter.
He was diagnosed with a partial medial ligament tear on Sunday, with the Bombers yet to set a timeline for his return.
Veteran defender Jordan Ridley was also diagnosed with a minor Lisfranc joint sprain and has been ruled out of next week’s clash with Adelaide.
“It’s pleasing that both players have avoided serious injury out of last night’s game,” football boss Dan McPherson said.
“While we’ll have a better idea of likely return-to-play timelines in the coming days, we’re more optimistic than we were last night.
“There’s still plenty to play for in the remainder of this season and we hope to get both of them back up and going.”
Ridley is believed to be in the final weeks of his Essendon career despite having two years to run on his contract.
He unsuccessfully sought a move to Brisbane last season but his management is now canvassing options in Victoria ahead of the trade period.
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