Star Geelong recruit Shaun Higgins is set for a stint on the sidelines after scans revealed he fractured his thumb in Monday's five-point win over Hawthorn.
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Higgins was always going to miss Sunday's clash with Melbourne due to a hamstring injury, but he was dealt an even bigger blow when the extent of his thumb complaint was discovered.
The 33-year-old, who crossed from North Melbourne to Geelong during the off-season, will undergo surgery but no exact timeline has been set for his return.
"Higgins has a fracture of his thumb that requires surgery," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.
"That's probably the issue more than his hamstring in terms of the recovery period. Medium term for him."
Youngster Francis Evans is set to miss a big chunk of the season with an ankle injury that may require surgery.
The Cats are playing it super careful with star forward Jeremy Cameron, who will miss another game with the hamstring injury he suffered during the preseason.
"We've got the reins well and truly on him. It's uncertain, at least in my mind, when we're going to unshackle him," Scott said.
"We're going to be so careful with that. I hate to reference other teams and other players, generally because I don't know anything about their personal situation.
"But a player I admire so much like (West Coast's) Luke Shuey, it just hits home again that you can get some bad luck, and you've got to do everything you can to mitigate that bad luck.
"That's the summary of where we're at with Jeremy.
"He had a desperately unlucky mechanism to give that hamstring a minor tweak again, to the point where you think it's almost impossible for it to happen in a game."
In some good news for the Cats midfielder Sam Menegola has recovered from a shoulder injury and is expected to be given the green light to face the Demons.
Esava Ratugolea (leg) is a chance to play some minutes in a VFL practice match this weekend.
Australian Associated Press
