Midfield star Jai Newcombe is set to make his return for Hawthorn’s final game of the season this Saturday against Fremantle.
The 22-year-old was a late withdrawal from the side that took on Melbourne last weekend after experiencing hamstring tightness following his previous game against the Western Bulldogs.
Hawthorn High Performance Manager Peter Burge said Newcombe would fully train and was expected to be available for selection.
He suffered some delayed discomfort from the previous week, when he played well against the Bulldogs, according to the report.
“He participated in our big training session last week, albeit not at full pace, but he just wasn’t good enough, so we decided at the last minute not to play him.
We anticipate that he will begin training fully later this week and play on the weekend.
Mid-season recruit Brandon Ryan is also expected to be available for selection after missing the last fortnight due to illness.
Meanwhile, key forward Mitch Lewis is a test to play after suffering a mid-foot injury a fortnight ago, but Burge acknowledged he was less likely to get up.
“Mitch was in a moon boot last week just to unload his mid-foot sprain, he has been in and out of the boot over the last seven days,” Burge added.
“When he’s out of the boot, he is still not feeling comfortable yet, so we’ve left him in it for now.
“It’s looking less likely, but we’ll give him every chance and reassess later in the week, get him out of the boot and moving, but at this stage it’s probably less likely than likely.”