A rising Hawk may have to bide his time as Sam Mitchell and his troops prepare for a tough Opening Round clash against Greater Western Sydney on Saturday.
Despite kicking 35 goals across his first 26 games key forward Calsher Dear is no certainty to be part of Hawthorn's early season plans.
Speaking on Thursday, Mitchell said the Hawks are still trying to find their best forward mix.
"(Dear) is probably just battling a little bit," he said.
"He played in the Box Hill game on the weekend and he was okay. Our forward line needs a little bit of work. We got plenty of ball into our front half in the first half of the game in particular last weekend, we just couldn't find a way to convert it.
"We will have a look at our mix and try to figure out how exactly we want to go about it in front of the ball and Calsher will be a part of that mix."
Preparing for the Hawks' clash with the injury-hit Giants, Mitchell expects Adam Kingsley's men to remain staunch opposition given the club's list depth.
Mitchell said the Hawks want to be "conservative" in their approach with key defender Tom Barrass who remains listed as a test for Saturday's fixture.
"(Barrass) has missed a lot of footy in his career and he has played a lot of footy in his first 12 months with us," he said.
"He is not a guy who has to play every minute of the pre-season to get himself right, he is an experienced campaigner and I expect him to play."
Newly appointed co-captain Jai Newcombe will be available to play for the Hawks in Opening Round after his one-match ban for rough conduct was downgraded.
Get set for the footy with the FREE Zero Hanger 2026 AFL Season Guide! Packed with 150+ pages of player profiles, team previews, insights and analysis, the 2026 AFL Season Guide is built for fans who want the full picture. Download your free Season Guide HERE.
