HAWTHORN is hopeful young key forward Mitch Lewis can avoid a stint on the sidelines after rolling his ankle in the latter stages of Friday night's loss to Melbourne.
The exciting target landed awkwardly on his left ankle in the final term and had to be helped from the field after the incident in the Marsh Community Series clash.
Speaking after the club's 32-point defeat in Tasmania, Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said the club was unsure of the severity of the injury.
"I'm not really sure how [significant] it is, it's a rolled ankle so we'll see how that comes up over the next few days," Clarkson said.
The late injury was a blow for the Hawks, who were outplayed by the Demons in an error-riddled display.
It is also a frustration for Lewis, who had post-season shoulder surgery at the end of 2019 after a breakout year that saw him boot 20 goals from 12 games.
The Hawks face Brisbane in round one in 16 days and the four-time premiership coach said Jack Gunston will be in the mix for selection, with Ricky Henderson and Tim O'Brien also set to return for the Hawks.
"All those guys are in the mix so we'll see where that all unfolds over the next 10 days leading into the final preparations for the Brisbane game," he said.
Melbourne's performance pleased coach Simon Goodwin, with the Demons' running power a clear indicator of a much healthier pre-season in comparison to their disastrous 2019 campaign.
The Demons backed up their win over Adelaide in the opening week of the pre-season competition, with Bayley Fritsch and Jake Melksham combining for nine goals and key defensive pair Steven May and Jake Lever performing well in the back half.
"There's plenty to like in the way we're going about it, and I think we're starting to establish the way that we want to play – defensively be really hard to play against and [then] start to get some reward for it," Goodwin said.
Part of the Dees' new-found running strength comes in the form of recruits Adam Tomlinson (from Greater Western Sydney) and Ed Langdon (Fremantle), with the pair combining for nearly 60 disposals against the Hawks.
Goodwin praised the new faces for their immediate impact.
"Both Tomlinson and Langdon have provided us with exactly what we thought they would. They're two wingers in the competition who have a really high work-rate and they provide great structure for you in the way you want to play. We're really happy with them," Goodwin said.
