CARLTON forward Phoebe McWilliams will be unavailable for the remainder of the season due to a stress fracture in her foot.
McWilliams sustained the injury during the second quarter of the Round 4 game against Fremantle and did not return.
She underwent scans upon returning to Melbourne which confirmed the extent of the injury, ruling her out for the remainder of the year.
Scans have also confirmed Blues forward Darcy Vescio suffered a broken finger on Saturday.
Vescio consulted a specialist and will require surgery, which they will undergo tomorrow. At this stage the 29-year-old is expected to miss just the one game.
Amelia Velardo and Paige Trudgeon will also join McWilliams and Vescio on the sidelines after both experiencing concussions during the trip to Perth – the pair have entered the mandatory 12-day AFLW concussion protocols.
Carlton Head of Women’s Football Brett Munro said the group’s collective mindset to handle whatever comes its way would hold it in good stead.
“Phoebe had just started to become comfortable and show more freedom in her game, so we’re really disappointed for her to have her season cut short,” Munro said.
“We will work with Phoebe to determine the next steps in her recovery: she’ll join Mia Austin and Maddy Guerin in our long-term rehab group and have the full support of the program behind her.
“Darcy reported soreness in their finger after the game which was determined to be broken after receiving scans on Monday. Surgery is required, however we’re hopeful they will miss just the one week.
“Amelia and Paige will both adhere to the concussion protocols so will be unavailable for Round 5, we will assess their availability further next week.
“Seasons often throw challenges at you but we have players throughout our squad hungry for opportunity, which brings its own kind of energy to the week.
“We walked away from the Perth trip with a number of injuries, but as we showed on the day, this team adapts when needed and we will continue to do that. This group has worked hard in recent times to build its resilience and what better way to showcase that than right now.”
