HAWTHORN’S prize recruit James Frawley looks to have dodged going under the knife for a second time in his first season with the Hawks.
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The defender does not requite surgery after dislocating his left shoulder in the second quarter of the Hawks’ 38-point win against Essendon on Saturday.
There were initial club fears that surgery could force Frawley to miss the Hawks’ push for a premeirship three-peat. Instead, scans suggest the East Ballarat and Rebels' export could be back within the month.
Frawley also avoided surgery earlier this season for a pectorial injury that kept him sidelined for four weeks. He sustained that injury against the Bombers, too, in round two.
Hawks football operations manager Chris Fagan told HawksTV that Frawley was a chance to return from his shoulder injury in three to four weeks.
“He damaged some ligaments in his shoulder,” Fagan said.
“We’ve had a series of scans over the last few days and discussions with our medical people and it looks at this point in time that James will probably miss three to four weeks.
“He’ll go through a rehabilitation process.
“I noticed he was out there running at training this morning, which is a good sign.”
Fagan said fellow key defender Matt Spangher could be in selection contention this week, with the ankle injury he sustained while playing for Box Hill Hawks in the Victorian Football League on Saturday also not as serious as first thought.
Frawley, aged 26, has chalked up eight games with the Hawks this season. He signed a four-year-deal with the Hawks as an unrestricted free agent in the off-season after 14 years with Melbourne.
Drafted to the Dees from North Ballarat Rebels at pick 12 in the 2006, Frawley played 139 AFL games with Melbourne after making his debut in round nine 2007. Frawley was picked in the back pocket of the 2010 all-Australian team and has twice represented Australia in International Rules (2010-11).
Frawley quipped it felt right to pull on the brown-and-gold when he made the transfer – they were the colours he wore at Delacombe Primary School in Ballarat.
Meanwhile, luckless Cat Josh Cowan is edging close to an on-field return. Cowan injured his hamstring in Geelong’s first quarter against Collingwood at the MCG in early May. It was his first AFL game after four injury-plagued years.
The midfielder, from Daylesford and the Rebels, remains listed as a test on Geelong’s injury list this week.