HAWTHORN midfielder Liam Shiels will miss up to six weeks with a wrist injury suffered in the Hawks’ final NAB challenge hit out against North Melbourne on Saturday.

GM - Football Operations Chris Fagan confirmed scans on Sunday revealed a hairline fracture in Shiels’ wrist.

Shiels left the field cradling his wrist in the final quarter and didn’t return after collecting 18 disposals in his side’s 45-point win.

“Scans yesterday revealed Liam has a hairline fracture in his right wrist,” Fagan told hawthornfc.com.au.

“What that effectively means is he’ll be out for somewhere between four to six weeks.

“Liam has had a really good pre-season to date and it’s a disappointing result at this stage of the year.”

Despite the setback, Fagan is confident Shiels will make a strong return.

“He’ll go through his rehab program and no doubt be working to get back out there as soon as possible," he said.

It is a blow for the Hawthorn midfielder, who had another outstanding season for the Hawks in 2015, averaging almost 22 disposals per game.

In more positive news for the Hawks, midfielder Will Langford made a solid return to football through the VFL on Saturday.

Langford joins the likes of Jonathan O'Rourke and Billy Hartung as potential candidates for selection in Round 1.

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