Hawthorn will be without veteran sharpshooter Luke Breust for Saturday's matchup with GWS, with the Hawks forward left without a voice after suffering a bruised larynx in last weekend's loss to Carlton.
Sam Mitchell is anticipated to make several changes to his side for Round 17 as the Hawks make the trip to GIANTS Stadium, however Breust wasn't a name the Hawthorn coach had hoped to be moving out of his side.
The club was informed on Thursday morning that Breust will be unable to routinely speak for up to two weeks, while Hawthorn are confident the 32-year-old will be in the frame for selection for Round 18.
"Luke Breust unfortunately had an uncomfortable knock in the throat on the weekend and he had some scans, he's lost his voice with a bruised larynx," Mitchell confirmed to reporters.
"Apparently he won't have his voice back for 10-14 days. It's a bit too bruised to risk playing. We only just got that information."
The Hawks will have defensive pairing Changkuouth Jiath and Jarman Impey tested at Thursday's main session as the duo look to prove their fitness for returns from back and calf injuries respectively.
Small forward Tyler Brockman is in a similar position after being withdrawn from the Hawks' squad to face the Blues due to illness, with the young goalsneak a likely chance to take Breust's spot in Mitchell's side for this weekend.
"As long as (Impey) gets through training he'll be fine," Mitchell said.
"He's been really important for us with his run, drive carry and leadership. Keen to have him back.
"(Jiath) has got to get through training and we'll see what he's like from a minutes point of view with our medical staff. He's done everything that's required
"He's an important player and a big part of our future. We're looking forward to getting CJ back in when we get the chance."
The Hawks will be without Josh Morris for an extended period after the fringe Hawk suffered a shoulder injury.
Former first-round pick Denver Grainger-Barras will be held in the VFL for at least another week as the club looks to continue to experiment with having the young backman play as a target up forward.
The Western Australian was a standout for Box Hill last week in the forward half, booting four goals in his side's win over Port Melbourne. While wanting to sharpen their attack at senior level.
"He went forward for the first time and was able to kick four, and create some good contests," Mitchell said.
"We'll see how this looks again this week. We'll continue to monitor him as a forward."
Hawthorn will face GWS at GIANTS Stadium on Saturday at 4:35pm (AEST).
