The Hawks will start favourites on Friday night against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG, having won their last two games to be third on the ladder. They also boast a five-game winning streak against the Bulldogs.
But veteran forward Jack Gunston continues to be troubled by a sore foot and was left out of Hawthorn's lineup, with their mid-season break to follow this game.
Gunston had returned for last week's win over St Kilda after a two-match break.
He starred against the Saints with five goals, before being rested for the last quarter.
Hawks coach Sam Mitchell had been confident that Conor Nash (neck) would return and was hopeful that Tom Barrass (hamstring) also would be back this week. But neither were brought in for the Bulldogs clash.
Defender Bodie Ryan is Hawthorn's only inclusion.
By contrast, the Bulldogs have received a major morale boost with the return of Cody Weightman.
Coach Luke Beveridge enthused about the effect that Weightman would have on his teammates. A rare knee condition sidelined Weightman for all of last season.Â
The forward's last game was the 2024 elimination final loss to Hawthorn. He will return to the AFL without any VFL matches.
"They (Weightman's teammates) definitely will get a spiritual lift. Some teammates just get inside your bones a little bit more than others, where you know how much they care for you," Beveridge said on Thursday.
Mitchell made it clear this week that any talk of what their mid-season break would look like had to wait until after the Bulldogs game.
"We have one focus and that's taking down the Dogs. Then after that, we can do it with a smile on our face if we get a good result," he said.
Mitchell is concerned about the firepower in the Bulldogs midfield, led by their captain Marcus Bontempelli.
Will Day made his long-awaited comeback last week to give Hawthorn a significant break in the midfield. He was on managed game time against the Saints and will play for slightly longer against the Bulldogs.
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