Hawthorn will be without captain Ben McEvoy after he suffered a small fracture in his neck.

McEvoy injured his neck during a contest at training on Thursday, however it will not require an operation.

While the 32-year-old has been ruled out for his side's upcoming game against Carlton, an exact timeframe for his return has yet to be determined.

Club Doctor Liam West said the Hawthorn medical team has been liaising with other medical specialists.

"Once healed, this will have no impact on Ben's ability to play football moving forward and at this stage we expect him to return to the team in the back half of the season,” West said.

“We’ll continue to assess Ben throughout his recovery following further specialist advice.”

McEvoy said while the setback was frustrating, he is pleased to be expected to make a full recovery.

“I was pretty sore straight after, then yesterday afternoon went to get some scans,” McEvoy said.

“It has been confirmed that I’ve got a small fracture in one of the lateral bones in my neck, but it’s all stable and safe.

“I’m going to have some time out of the game while that heals, but I’m really pleased that I’m going to make a full recovery with no ongoing complications.”

Jaeger O’Meara will act as captain for this weekend's game against Carlton at the MCG on Sunday at 1.10pm. 

Hear more from McEvoy below.