Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell says there are "no guarantees" to welcome back star midfielder Will Day for the start of September action, should the Hawks qualify with a win on the weekend.
Day suffered an unfortunate friendly-fire shoulder injury in the Round 23 belting over Richmond when teammate Jai Newcombe went for a hard-ball get and crashed into the luckless Hawk.
Mitchell says the 23-year-old is no chance of featuring in the pivotal clash, but thankfully does not require any procedural restoration.
"He's unavailable this week and there's no guarantees after that," the Hawthorn coach shared.
"There's no surgical interventions needed. He doesn't need anything except for to feel good enough to play, so how long that takes is up to his body.
"At the moment it's just pain and soreness that's hurting him, he can actually move it okay, but it's just very tender and sore to the touch.
"He'll be doing everything he can to make sure he's available as soon as possible."
Two critical cogs to their potential finals run also face doubts ahead of this Saturday and September action, with Changkuoth Jiath ruled out against North Melbourne with his lingering calf issue, while Jack Scrimshaw tests out his dislocated finger with a variety of on-field remedies at training.
The hope is for Scrimshaw to feature on the weekend with full ability in his hands, while Jiath escapes the risk of hindering his potential finals campaign with one more week on the sidelines.
"CJ won't be (playing)... he can run, sort of 75 per cent," Mitchell said.
"Having him not be able to quite feel good enough at that speed means that the risk is not worth taking.
"Scrimshaw, we're not sure, we'll see how he goes.
"He had to have a clean-out, he's got a nasty cut... so he'll wear some bandaging, I think he might wear a glove for part of the session and see how it feels functionally.
"If he functionally can use it, then he'll be available."
The Hawthorn coach will be relying on his young core, as he has all season, to fight tooth and nail for what could be the most exciting September runs in recent memory.
One key pillar to their success has been the early signs shown by young front man Calsher Dear.
Son of late Norm Smith medallist Paul, Calsher Dear has shocked most, including his own coach, with his growth at just 19 years old in a role typically reserved for seasoned men of the competition.
"The thing that is very hard to measure and they can't capture at a combine is competitiveness, ability to learn and implement quickly, and coachability," Mitchell shared.
"Every time the ball hits the ground, he chases it. There's a lot of highly talented younger players who don't do that."
"He might not have the most beautiful kicking action, but he does naturally try to put pressure on. That means at his worst games, he still performs a pretty good team role."
Asked on his thoughts on All-Australian selection as the home & away season closes, the Hawthorn coach revealed who he thinks should be in contention if the selectors opt for positional integrity.
Massimo D'Ambrosio has surprised most with his rapid development on the wing, but it may not be enough to secure a spot over the number of dime-a-dozen mids wreaking havoc through the league.
"It would be a great story if he was," Mitchell said of his 21-year-old star.
"I would assume Errol Gulden has one wing, and if I had to guess, they'll put a midfielder on the other wing despite being probably never played on the wing.
"But if they choose two genuine wingmen then he certainly deserves to be in the conversation."
