Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has assured fans star forward Nick Watson will play Fremantle in the Qualifying Final.
Watson was managed during Sunday's win against West Coast at Optus Stadium, which locked the club inside the top four.
The 'Wizard' played limited minutes in the third quarter and didn't return in the last term as the Hawks begin preparing for a mouth-watering clash with the Dockers.
"He's fine. He's not injured; we just managed him out of the game (and) he'll play against Freo. If that's all you're worried about, he'll be there," Mitchell said on Sunday night.
"We actually wanted to try 'Weds' (Josh Weddle) in the front half a little bit more, and I had a chat with [high performance manager] Peter Burge, and I said if anyone needed a spell, who would it be? And he said, 'Wiz'.
"He wasn't too happy to be taken out of the game, but it was important that we got to manage our important players, and he probably wrestled half the game tonight.
"He was getting some pretty tight attention, but he handled it really well and pleased he was able to freshen up a little bit late."
Hawthorn are yet to land on a ruck combination, which will be a major consideration when taking on Luke Jackson and Mason Cox.
Lloyd Meek has been supported by Mabior Chol and Ned Reeves throughout the year, while Josh Weddle has also been thrown into the stoppages from time to time.
Mid-season recruit Max Beattie will also give Mitchell something to think about after an impressive performance against the Eagles in his second AFL game. He kicked two goals, gave off another two from 15 touches.
"He looked quite dangerous, didn't he? He had a few shots on goal, and his running power is significant," Mitchell said.
"I think he's quickly become a player for us.
"We'll probably have a couple of players back and a bit of a selection headache. Every team that finishes in the top four is wanting selection headaches, and we're certainly going to have those in a couple of weeks."
