Gold Coast midfielder Pearce Hanley's injured shoulder won't require surgery but the Irishman is set to miss up to the first six weeks of the AFL season.
Hanley, 32, dislocated his right shoulder during the Suns' pre-season victory over Brisbane on the Gold Coast on Sunday.
While scans showed Hanley does not need to undergo surgery, the Suns' football manager Jon Haines said there's no chance of him lining up to face North Melbourne in Gold Coast's season opener in Cairns on March 24.
"The advice from the surgeons and our medical staff is a fairly conservative approach, so we expect the recovery period will take four to six weeks and at that time Pearce will be ready to play," Haines said.
It's a tough start to the year for ex-Lions player Hanley, who only managed 13 matches in 2017 due to combination of injury and personal issues.
In other Suns injury news, a hamstring strain won't cost Jack Martin any game time with the 23-year-old expected to be fit for round one of the home-and-away campaign.
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