Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson is hopeful Hawks duo Jaeger O'Meara and Blake Hardwick will be ready for the club's round two match up against Geelong next Friday night.
O'Meara and Hardwick will be given until the very last moment to be ready for the game, but Clarkson has labelled it as a โsignificant challengeโ for both to get up for the game.
O'Meara is on the mend from a facial fracture and will do all he can to play, pending a clearance from doctors.
Meanwhile, Hardwick has recovered from the pectoral muscle injury that left him out of round one, but with little contact since the seasons suspension, he will also be questionable to play in round two.
O'Meara is the more likely of the two to get up for the round two clash, but both will be given until the Wednesday or Thursday to stake their claim to play.
โHeโll do some training and weโll be guided by the surgeons and the doctors in that space,โ Clarkson said of OโMeara.
โWeโre hopeful and heโs hopeful that heโll be available to play. Weโre still exploring if he can play with some sort of guard or padding.
โBut heโs tracking well. If you looked at him, certainly his manner around the footy club, you wouldnโt know thereโs anything wrong and heโs keen to play.โ
Hawthorn haven't travelled to Geelong to face the Cats since Clarkson's second season in charge, which was in 2006.
Clarkson has made it clear though that no matter the circumstances, his team will be ready for the clash.
โIronically enough the last time we played down there we won by 52 points,โ Clarkson said.
โThe shape of the ground probably works in Geelongโs favour more than the opposition. But having said that, itโs got green grass, four goalposts at either end, a centre square, a centre circle and two 50m arcs.
โItโs as simple as that. Thatโs the exciting part about returning to play. We donโt care where it is, what time, who the opposition is. We just want to get out there and play.โ
In other news, Clarkson has not yet spoken with Chad Wingard personally, but the club are fully behind his stance in the voluntary media ban and calling out racism on his social media.
โIโll speak to him in the next day or two but this isnโt uncommon for us to be having chats.
โThese conversations happen on a regular basis but itโs just this oneโs been a little bit more public because Chad, in his wisdom, has decided to take a stance and I think itโs a good stance to take in the circumstances.โ
