Carlton have taken another AFL hit with star midfielder Patrick Cripps in doubt to face Essendon on Sunday.
The winless Blues have confirmed Cripps suffered a minor jaw fracture when he was struck by Melbourne's Jordan Lewis in the third quarter of their clash at the MCG.
Lewis - whose poor record added to his sanction - has been offered a three-game suspension for the incident, while Jesse Hogan was offered a two-game ban for striking Carlton defender Sam Rowe.
"Patrick had scans last night which confirmed a small hairline fracture in his jaw," Carlton football boss Andrew McKay said on Monday.
"Given his jaw is stable and not displaced, we will assess him further over the coming days to determine whether he will be available to play this Sunday against the Bombers."
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Carlton have a relatively healthy list overall but the 22-year-old Cripps would be a significant loss if he is unavailable to face the unbeaten Bombers.
The tough on-baller had 29 disposals and seven inside-50s during Carlton's 22-point loss to the Demons.
