Heath Shaw sustained bleeding on the brain from the heavy hit he copped against the Sydney Swans almost two weeks ago and won't be considered for the GIANTS for at least another three weeks.
The veteran defender was running full pace towards Kurt Tippett at the SCG back on June 28, when the Swans forward raised his knee to take a mark, catching Shaw flush on the face.
Heavily concussed at the time, Shaw was taken for scans, which have revealed the small bleed on his brain.
He has since visited specialists in both Sydney and Melbourne and, while the club initially thought he would be fine by now, the 28-year-old won't be considered for selection until the bleeding subsides.
Shaw ran for the first time on Thursday and will miss at least this week's trip to Perth to face Fremantle and next week's home game against Geelong before the Giants have a week off.
"It's an interesting one with Heath, he's not going to play until after the bye," GWS coach Leon Cameron said on Thursday.
"He might be a chance after the bye.
"Initially when he got the knock in the Sydney game there was a very minor bleed to the brain.
"And so Heath's welfare comes first and we have to be really, really careful with how he's progressing.
"One thing I will say is he's starting to progress really well now. He ran today for the first time, he's upbeat, he's confident he'll get back and play some good footy after the bye."
While concussions can affect players in different ways, they generally only keep them sidelined for around a week.
This is clearly a more serious scenario for the likeable defender.
"Absolutely and we're treating it that way as well," Cameron said.
"The players' welfare is so much more important than playing a game.
"When you're dealing with head knocks or any injuries, especially with our young group – I know Heath's 50 years of age – so we've got to deal with our older players as well.
"It's a significant hit, we all saw it and we hope that he plays after the bye."
Shaw isn't the only injury concern for the GIANTS, who will also face the daunting task of Fremantle at Patersons Stadium without midfield guns Adam Treloar and Stephen Coniglio.
Treloar is being managed through some groin soreness and should be fine to face the Cats next week, while Coniglio's season could be over after he sustained a crack to his thumb.
The two have been among GWS' better performers this year and leave a significant hole in the midfield, but Cameron is backing some of his other youngsters to fill the void.
"We're really confident the guys playing at NEAFL level, (Lachie) Plowman, (Matt) Buntine, (Jono) O'Rourke, (Jacob) Townsend, these guys have been really putting their names up and can come in and play a role," he said.
"Treloar and Coniglio have obviously been in our midfield for most of the year.
"Adam is having a terrific year and Stephen's last month has been fantastic.
"But like anything, it's a great opportunity for a Jono O'Rourke or a Jacob Townsend, who have been knocking on the door for about seven or eight weeks and haven't been able to get in there.
"We look forward to that challenge."
