Captain James Sicily (shoulder/ankle) and key forward Mabior Chol (wrist) are both progressing well from their respective injuries but must pass a fitness test to be cleared for play.
Sicily missed last Saturday’s victory over St Kilda due to injuries sustained in the previous win against the Western Bulldogs two weeks ago.
Hawthorn High Performance Manager Peter Burge stated that Sicily needs to successfully complete contact work during the main training session this week to be eligible for selection.
“The ankle has improved significantly, and he had an excellent conditioning session over the weekend,” Burge said.
“His shoulder is also doing well, showing good strength in gym-based assessments, but we need to conduct more functional tests during full training on Thursday.”
Similarly, Chol is aiming for a return after being sidelined for two weeks with a wrist injury from Round 7.
The 27-year-old trained over the weekend and will participate in full training this week. If he passes these sessions without issues, he will be available for selection.
Burge also provided an update on Mitch Lewis, who has an ongoing cartilage issue behind his knee cap.
He noted that the injury does not require surgery but needs continuous monitoring.
“It’s frustrating for everyone, especially the player,” Burge said.
“His condition improved last week with a good session on Tuesday, but he experienced discomfort again by Thursday and over the weekend.
“We can’t provide an exact timeframe for his return. Previously, we had expected him to progress into full training, but that hasn’t been the case. For now, he won’t be playing in the short term. We’ll focus on conditioning and building strength in the affected area.”
In other injury news, Ned Reeves (hand) and Henry Hustwaite (concussion) are also expected to be available for selection after recovering from injuries sustained during Box Hill’s VFL game against the Western Bulldogs two weeks ago.
Forward Jack O’Sullivan will miss the next 2-3 weeks due to a hamstring strain.
Watch the full injury report with Burge below.
**Injury List**
| Player | Injury | Availability / Timeframe |
|——————-|—————-|————————–|
| James Sicily | Shoulder/Ankle | Test |
| Mabior Chol | Wrist | Test |
| Ned Reeves | Hand | Test |
| Henry Hustwaite | Concussion | Test |
| Mitch Lewis | Knee | TBC |
| Jack O’Sullivan | Hamstring | 2-3 weeks |
| Will McCabe | Back | 4-6 weeks |
| James Blanck | Knee | Season |
| Sam Butler | Leg | Season |
