Hawthorn will be without captain James Sicily for Saturday's game in Tasmania against St Kilda.
Sicily managed to play out last week's win over the Bulldogs after seemingly dislocating his shoulder in the opening quarter.
The Hawks' medical team were able to treat Sicily and have the defender back on the field for the second quarter, with Sicily playing a match-winning role in Hawthorn's second victory of the season.
In the wake of the result, Sicily has been ruled out of his side's Round 9 plans due to a shoulder concern
Coach Sam Mitchell confirmed Sicily's omission on Thursday, with the Hawks forced into making at least one change for this weekend's trip to Launceston.
“Unfortunately we won't take the risk with him,” the Hawks coach said.
“When you've got a player of that calibre you've got to be really careful with how you manage it.
“The longer we wait to bring him back, the more stable the shoulder will be, and the risk of it coming out again this week will be too high.”
Sicily's absence opens the door for SSP recruit Ethan Phillips to potentially make his AFL debut, with the key defender noted as one of the premier backmen at the state league level.
Phillips and young defender Jai Serong are both being considered to replace Sicily.
“He's worked really hard on his craft,” Mitchell said of Phillips.
”We're tossing up between him and Jqi Serong, who has been really consistent at VFL level.
“Between those two, we'll look to bring one in.”
Defender Changkuoth Jiath is in line to return from injury via the VFL for Box Hill on Sunday.
Forward Chad Wingard remains some time away from a return from an Achilles injury and will continue to build his workload in the VFL.
Hawthorn host St Kilda at the University of Tasmania Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
