Hawthorn co-captain James Sicily will line up in Thursday nightโs blockbuster against Fremantle, while star midfielder Will Day is all but back in full training in a bid to make a return mid-season.
Sicily hurt his ankle in the draw with Collingwood at the MCG last Thursday, and was switched from defence to attack to help him finish the game.
He trained on Tuesday, when coach Sam Mitchell confirmed he would make the trip west for a โbig test we feel like we are ready forโ.
โHe will be fine. He will play,โ Mitchell said.
Hawthorn have won only one of their past eight games against Fremantle, and have not beaten the Dockers in Perth since 2018.
Day, arguably the Hawksโ best player, required a shoulder reconstruction after he was hurt in January. He had recently resumed contact training, with a view to returning through the VFL in the next month.
Mitchell revealed Day was effectively back in full training.
โBut heโs still probably three to four weeks [away],โ he said.
Forward Mabior Chol (hamstring) remains a fortnight from resuming.
Thursdayโs clash at Optus Stadium shapes as the game of the round, for it pits second (Dockers) on the ladder against third (Hawks) in what could be a precursor to September.
The Dockers have won seven straight, their only loss this season coming against Geelong in round one.
โI feel like we have pretty good availability. We are in reasonable form. They are, obviously, the form team of the competition, [winnning] seven on the bounce,โ Mitchell said.
โI went and watched their game last week. They probably said they werenโt at their best, but we still got the job done.โ
Mitchell said dynamic utility Josh Weddle had taken a hit with his confidence in front of goal, but was confident that would change. Weddle has booted 4.11 this season.
โHeโs had a lot of shots on goal this year. He just hasnโt been able to quite nail them โฆ but โWeddsโ is a nice kick. So, when you are technically sound, itโs something that will turn around sooner rather than later,โ Mitchell said.
Opponents have increasingly looked to avoid kicking long into their own forward line in a bid to hinder the aerial skills of Sicily and his fellow defenders Tom Barrass and Josh Battle. The Magpies even had Steele Sidebottom play as a defensive forward on Sicily in the first half last week in a bid to negate his ability to spark a counter-attack.
Mitchell said the Dockers would have a choice to make โ back their own system, or alter their method.
โWe know that our intercepting defenders are one of our strengths and weapons, and if teams want to kick long to them, then we will back them in,โ Mitchell said.
โBut, if they donโt, itโs not like we canโt win.โ
Mitchell said there was a feeling of โnothingnessโ after last Thursdayโs draw when the Hawks booted a wasteful 13.15 (93), while the efficient Magpies booted 15.3 (93), the draw certified after Dylan Mooreโs post-siren goal.
The Hawks had a whopping 34 more inside 50s โ the largest inside-50 advantage any team has had without winning since 2022.
โWe need to work on our front-half method a bit more, but we have been first or second [for] scores per entry, goals per entry would be a bit nicer,โ Mitchell said.
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Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.
