Star Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn will consult a surgeon on Monday after scans showed his hamstring injury could be more severe than first thought.
Gawn limped out of Saturday's AFL loss to Geelong in the second quarter after injuring his right hamstring in a contest with Cats skipper Joel Selwood.
He was initially expected to miss four weeks but could require surgery that will rule him out for longer after it was discovered he has suffered tendon damage.
"The scans today showed that Max's hamstring strain had some tendon involvement and as a result he will see a surgeon tomorrow to determine whether he requires surgery," Melbourne football chief Josh Mahoney said on Sunday.
"At this stage it's too early to determine the exact length of time that Max will miss, however, with the tendon involvement we expect his recovery to be longer than your traditional hamstring injury."
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
The news is a major blow to the Demons, who were initially relieved Gawn hadn't ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, which would have required season-ending surgery.
Veteran onballer Bernie Vince was also injured in Melbourne's first loss of the season.
The former Crow had a foot stomped on and underwent a surgical procedure on Saturday night to have the nail removed from a big toe.
The club are hopeful he will be fit to play Fremantle at the MCG on Saturday.
The Demons can ill afford the injuries with star pair Jesse Hogan and Jordan Lewis currently serving AFL suspensions for off-the-ball incidents during their round two win over Carlton.
