While not writing off the season, the soon-to-be 30-year-old shot down league speculation he was carrying stress fractures.

"I had a lot of issues with my back at Myrtleford in 2019, it's given me grief for a long time, but I've been able to manage it," he explained.

"It had been undiagnosed for a long time, but it flared up really bad around Christmas.

"I was flying before that and was doing all the running (at training) and I don't actually know what happened, I had a week off and then did a running block over over Christmas-New Year and pulled up really bad."

McDonagh hasn't run since.

"It's a tricky situation going to a new club and you want to put your best foot forward, but that's very hard when you're not physically able to meet the training requirements," he added.

"I've just asked the club if there's no expectations for me to play footy this year.

"It's a matter of getting on top of my body and my own motivation and then reassess where we are at with footy in 2024."

It's not only a shattering blow for McDonagh, who returns to the competition after a stint at Mansfield in the Goulburn Valley League, but also Rovers.

The club gained the jump on a number of clubs by signing four key players, prior to mid-November, but two talls in McDonagh and John Jorgensen (joined Northern Bullants) won't be there, at least for an extended period in McDonagh's case, if at all.

The Hawks still have talls in former Geelong VFL ruckman Will Christie and Alex Marklew, who was outstanding last year to finish third in the best and fairest, but the coaching staff will be working overtime on how to restrict Wangaratta's big men, including Doug Strang medallist Callum Moore and defender Aidan Tilley, in Good Friday's clash.

The match at Wangaratta's Norm Minns Oval starts from 6pm.