Despite a few injury scares in the final game of the season, Orange Hawks are still confident of going into their finals campaign at full strength with some help from the week off.
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Both Ethan McKellar and Corey Brown were injured in the first half of the side's impressive Group 10 derby victory over CYMS, with the former dislocating his finger in the opening minutes of the clash and three-quarter Brown injuring his foot before half time.
McKellar played out the game and the No. 8 expected to be fine for the Hawks' first finals clash, Brown is a more difficult proposition to judge.
Limping after twinging his foot, the No.3 tried taking off for a defensive push instead of coming to the bench and let out a yell of pain on the stroke of half-time.
There was almost a ridge on his foot.
- Hawks president Mark Johnston talking about Corey Brown's injury.
Brown hopped straight to the sidelines and was on hands and knees for several minutes.
He was iced for the rest of the game and Hawks medicos thought he may have broken hit foot, but Hawks president Mark Johnston said he'd had scans on Monday.
"There's no break, he had that checked but he went in for an MRI [on Tuesday] but we haven't heard back from that yet," he said.
"When he came into the rooms and took the sock off there was almost a ridge on his foot."
Remarkably, after spending time on the sidelines through the second half Johnston said Brown told him he was right to go back on.
He didn't take the field again, but the Hawks' head honcho said he expected Brown to play after what's proving a crucial week off.
He said McKellar would have likely played this week should he have been required.
"He's that tough it wouldn't worry him," Johnston said.
Hawks will host the winner of Saturday's clash between Mudgee and Panthers' at Wade Park in two weeks for a ticket to the grand final.
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