Hawthorn has suffered another blow to its Thursday chances against the Western Bulldogs with livewire forward Nick Watson ruled out with illness.
The Hawks have already confirmed that captain James Sicily will miss due to a hip and abdominal injury that has plagued him for the better part of a month, while Watson is the latest casualty.
The second-year forward reportedly missed the main training session on Tuesday and won't be given enough time to recover.
Nick Watson is the latest Hawk out of tomorrow nightโs crunch clash against the Western Bulldogs.
Missed main training yesterday through illness and hasnโt been able to recover in time.
Full teams tonight @7NewsMelbourne at 6.15pm— Mitch Cleary (@cleary_mitch) June 4, 2025
Thursday's primetime clash comes at a critical juncture in Hawthorn's season, after losing their past three encounters to the top three sides, placing them among the chasing pack for a finals appearance.
Defeats to Gold Coast, Brisbane and Collingwood in successive weeks have the former flag favourites sitting precariously on the ladder in seventh position, before another highly-anticipated contest with Adelaide in Launceston awaits.
The Hawks will then go into the bye (Round 15) and return against North Melbourne.
The final teams will be released at 6.20 pm (AEST).
