Melbourne midfielder Colin Sylvia has been in hospital since Saturday's AFL loss to Carlton with a blood clot in his right foot.

The Demons say Sylvia will stay in hospital for at least the next three days but have not ruled him out of the Queen's Birthday holiday blockbuster on Monday against Collingwood.

"Sylvia was enduring severe pain in his right big toe during and following the game on Saturday," the Demons said in a statement.

"Following medical assessment, club doctors were concerned about the blood supply to the toe and transferred Colin to the Epworth Hospital, where a test revealed a clot in the main artery on the top of his right foot.

"Colin is currently receiving treatment in hospital and will remain there for the next three days."

Sylvia had 21 disposals in the heavy conditions at the MCG as the Blues won by 41 points.

"This is a rare condition and Colin's availability for this week's match against Collingwood will depend on his response to the treatment," said Demons football manager Chris Connolly.

In other injury news, the Western Bulldogs have had better-than-expected news on star utility Shaun Higgins.

While Higgins is on crutches with a rolled ankle, he is expected to only miss two matches and the Bulldogs say he will not need surgery.

But his injury has reignited the fierce debate about the standard of the Etihad Stadium turf.

Higgins went over on his ankle during Sunday's loss to Collingwood, with the surface giving way under his foot in the incident.

The injury happened in the first quarter and he needed an injection and blood drained from the ankle to play through the second and third terms.

Higgins sat out the last quarter as the Bulldogs rallied to lose by only 10 points.

The AFL continue to say that the stadium surface is within their guidelines.

Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett is one of the strongest critics of the Etihad Stadium turf, with Hawks key defender Josh Gibson suffering a long-term hamstring injury at the ground earlier this season.

"Maybe the AFL and management at Etihad Stadium were looking at the video with their eyes closed, I don't know," Kennett said on Monday.

"But they can't just keep refuting the number of injuries occurring on that ground ... there is evidence."

Collingwood midfielder Dale Thomas also played in Sunday's game and said the surface quality overall was "not too bad".

But he admitted the quality varied.

"It was a little bit tacky and a little bit shifty in spots ... it was different in certain spots," he said.

Thomas added it was hard to say whether the surface was to blame for Higgins' injury.

"That (the injury) can happen anywhere. It wasn't four or five cases of it - it was a one-off," Thomas said.

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