Geelong are counting the cost of their loss to Port Adelaide, with scans revealing a collapsed lung and cracked rib for captain Patrick Dangerfield.
Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield has suffered a partially collapsed lung and cracked rib after being hurt in his side's 38-point loss to Port Adelaide.
The Brownlow medallist was sent to hospital after Thursday night's Adelaide Oval encounter.
Dangerfield was crunched in the back in a collision with Port's Dan Houston in the second quarter.
The skipper continued playing for the rest of the match despite being hobbled.
Geelong, in a statement on Friday, said Dangerfield had scans in hospital which revealed the extent of his injuries.
He will return to Melbourne on Friday by car.Â
Dangerfield was making his comeback from a hamstring injury suffered on May 6.
His is not the only fresh injury worry for the reigning premiers, with midfielder Tanner Bruhn damaging a shoulder against the Power.
Bruhn, who will soon have scans on an AC joint, was substituted in the third quarter.
The injury concerns are the latest worries for the Cats, now with six wins and seven losses for the season.
Mitch Duncan, Tyson Stengle and Max Holmes returned to action against Port but ruckman Jon Ceglar was a late scratching because of a groin ailment.
Cam Guthrie (toe) and Sam Menegola (knee) are rated as out for the medium term on the Cats' injury list, with key defender Esava Ratugolea sidelined for the short term.
Premiership ruckman Rhys Stanley (eye) will play limited minutes in the VFL this weekend.
"The trend has been get a couple (of players) back, lose a couple," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.
"It's not an excuse and I hope it doesn't sound that way.
"But there is a really strong correlation around the competition at the moment, the teams that have good availability and good cohesion are playing well.
"We were a case in point last year where ... when we got them all back and they played together week after week, we hit our straps.
"We're optimistic that can happen again."
Scott said injury woes were only "one factor" in his Cats' struggles.
"It's not the whole story, 'Oh, as soon as they get a bit of continuity in game time, you know, we'll be the best team in the comp'," he said.
"I'm not saying that at all. I'm just saying that there is room for optimism if we can get those guys playing together for a decent chunk of time."