AFL

Injured Hawk Chad Wingard earns one-year deal

By AAP Newswire

Sep 8, 2023

Hawthorn have put their faith in injured forward Chad Wingard, handing the veteran a one-year contract extension despite his long-term Achilles tendon injury.

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Wingard's future was in grave doubt after rupturing his Achilles in the club's round-22 win over the Western Bulldogs.

Out of contract and facing a nine-month recovery period, Wingard was in danger of having his AFL career ended prematurely.

But the 30-year-old would have been full of smiles after the Hawks handed him a one-year extension on Friday.Â

Hawthorn's club doctor Liam West said Wingard underwent a successful surgery late last month and the classy forward would look to resume running in the pre-season.

"The surgeon was really pleased with how the operation went, Chad had a really strong repair of his Achilles," West said in a statement.

"He is already doing really well with his rehabilitation and we hope that he will return to running late in the pre-season, with timelines to become clearer as his rehabilitation progresses."

The two-time All Australian has played 71 games for the Hawks since joining the club from Port Adelaide prior to the 2019 season.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press