Melbourne captain Max Gawn has avoided a season-ending knee injury but will still miss the next month.
Scans have revealed Gawn suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee in Friday night's loss to Brisbane at the Gabba.
"Max had scans which show a moderate-grade medial ligament injury," Melbourne's football manager Alan Richardson said on Saturday.
"And at this stage, we expect him to be available in four to six weeks.
"Max has seen a knee specialist and is working with our medical and high-performance team to determine the best return-to-play rehabilitation program."
Gawn initially feared he had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament which would have sidelined him for 12 months.