Hawthorn’s finals aspirations have been hit with a brutal blow, with star midfielder Will Day suffering a season-ending foot injury to rub salt into the wound following their narrow loss to Adelaide.

Day, who with 19 disposals and nine tackles was among the Hawks’ best in the 14-point loss, was hobbled for much of the second half after having his foot stomped on, while he limped from the field late in the match after cramping up.

The 24-year old returned to Melbourne in a moon boot, with scans revealing bone stress in his foot that will sideline him for the remainder of the season.

The Hawks confirmed the disastrous news in a statement on Saturday afternoon.

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“We know Will has put in a mountain of work to get back to playing, and indeed performing, at the elite level, and we are really disappointed for him,” Hawks football general manager Rob McCartney said.

“The club’s medical and high performance team have taken extra precautions with Will throughout his rehabilitation this year. This included very closely managing his workload and consulting external specialists both in Victoria and interstate to help guide his return to play timeline.

“Will is an outstanding person who has showcased an incredible amount of resilience, and we know he will engage his rehab with the same attitude.

“As a club, we will obviously support Will throughout every stage of his rehabilitation and wrap our arms around him as he navigates this tough period.”

The loss to the Crows was just Day’s second match back after being sidelined since March with a foot stress fracture that required surgery.

A collarbone injury also saw him miss both the Hawks’ finals last season.

The loss of Day makes the Hawks’ quest for a second consecutive finals berth even tougher, as they will likely need to win all of their three remaining games to squeak into September, which includes tough clashes with the ladder-leading Collingwood and third-placed Brisbane.