HAWTHORN’S AFLW premiership hopes have taken a significant blow, with star ruck Lucy Wales unlikely to return this season after undergoing abdominal surgery.
Wales presented to the club on Friday morning with abdominal soreness, later diagnosed as an appendicitis, before undergoing surgery to remove her appendix on Saturday morning.
She was still recovering in hospital in South Australia as of Tuesday afternoon, having travelled interstate with the side ahead of its gameĀ against Port Adelaide on Friday night.
Lucy Wales in action during the AFLW R8 match between Hawthorn and Fremantle at Kinetic Stadium on October 2, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
The Hawks are unlikely to officially rule Wales out yet for the remainder of the AFLW season, though her chances of a return are slim with just two weeks left in the home and away campaign.
Hawthorn has cemented itself as one of the League’s best sides, with the club currently sitting in third on the ladder and just two games behind the unbeaten North Melbourne.
Wales has played a significant role in the side’s 8-2 run, averaging 18.3 disposals and 20 hitouts per game through the season so far.
It followed a 2024 campaign where Wales was named in the All-Australian squad, having established herself as one of the competition’s most influential rucks.
