West Coast Eagles ruckman Michael Gardiner will undergo scans to assess the severity of a knee injury sustained during Saturday night's 45-point victory over the Sydney Swans at Subiaco Oval.
Gardiner is one of four Eagles players injured in the match, including midfielder Chad Fletcher, who is expected to fully recover after being knocked out in the second quarter. The club is also awaiting medical advice on Mark Seaby, who suffered a hamstring injury.
The 24-year-old Gardiner has a history of knee problems, having played only three matches last year before undergoing surgery on his right posterior cruciate ligament. His presence in the lineup is considered crucial to the Eagles' premiership chances.
Assistant coach Robert Wiley expressed hope that the scans would reveal no serious damage. 'Michael's had a little bit of bad luck in the last year, we're only hoping that it's temporary at this stage,' he said. 'We don't want to jump to any conclusions and we'll just have to wait and see.'
West Coast remains the only unbeaten team in the 2005 AFL premiership, with six wins from six matches. Wiley cautioned against complacency ahead of Sunday's match against 15th-placed Hawthorn in Launceston, noting that Hawthorn has 'some really good young guys' and were unlucky to lose last week.
