Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell revealed that captain James Sicily underwent a "minor procedure" on his nagging hip injury that saw him withdrawn from the side following the Round 12 loss to Collingwood.
Sicily's form has been a point of contention, with calls that the Hawks leader was carrying an injury that was curtailing his performance, ultimately leading to uncharacteristic poor kicking as well as diminishing his strength and power.
Mitchell said that his skipper has benefited from the time off the field to gain clarity around the "nervy hip thing", and could see him see him return against North Melbourne on Saturday at UTAS Stadium.
"(Sicily) has obviously been dealing with the 'nervy' hip thing โฆ we've got a bit more of our head around it, he had a minor procedure which sorted out a big proportion of it," Mitchell said.
"Will he get up for this week? Training will tell us more about that, but it's definitely been beneficial for him."
Midfielder James Worpel (corked quad) is also firming for a recall, and joined Sicily in the main training session after he was subbed out in Round 13 against the Western Bulldogs.
Hawthorn fans should rejoice in the long-awaited return of key forward Mitchell Lewis from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Lewis will feature in the VFL for the Box Hill Hawks, with the club confirming he'll play "approximately 70 minutes across three quarters".
The Hawks coach struggled to contain his excitement upon hearing the 26-year-old's impending return, who could be a "wildcard" for the senior side later in the year.
"He's looked ready to play," Mitchell said.
"I think sometimes when guys come back from a knee, they look tentative, and he definitely had that. But I'd say, probably for the last five or six weeks, he's looked ready to my eye, and everyone watching training.
"There's a part of me that's like, 'I'm watching him train, why isn't he playing?' But you certainly have a lot of trust in the medical team and make sure they go through their due diligence and play the percentages in the right way."
Hawthorn has relied upon Mabior Chol and Jack Gunston, while Max Ramsden and Calsher Dear have been used sporadically throughout the year, supporting an elite band of small forwards headed by Nick Watson and Jack Ginnivan.
Mitchell has also utilised Josh Weddle and Sicily in a front-half role, but the return of Lewis will undoubtedly straighten up the starting forward six.
Hawthorn returns from its mid-season bye, sitting in fifth position after a pair of victories over the Bulldogs and Crows.
