With Hawthorn about to start a massive month of football that will have huge ramifications for their finals chances, the club received good news on the injury front with one of their key young guns given the all clear to return to running, in a massive boost for the club ahead of their Friday night encounter against Adelaide.
Young defender Josh Weddle, 21, received positive news this morning with a scan on a stress fracture in his back showing improvement that will allow him to start running again.
Weddle has been sidelined from the Hawks team since their thumping win against the Kangaroos in Launceston in Round 17, where he experienced discomfort post-match.
Subsequent scans on his back revealed a stress fracture and meant that he had to be de-loaded from training to allow the injured area to settle down before further scans could reveal if the area was improving.
The injury to Weddle, was similar to what two fellow Hawks youngsters in Calsher Dear and Will McCabe had suffered over the past two years, allowing the club to have a better understanding of how to handle his recovery.
Originally taken with pick 18 in the 2022 AFL National Draft, the 192 cm defender had recently been seen walking the steps of the Hawks Bunjil Bagora training base with fellow injured defender Noah Mraz, in signs that the club were pleased with the improvements he had been making in rehabilitation from the injury.
At today's light training session, the younger speedster joined the rehabilitation group, where he was seen doing some light jogging in the first signs of improvement from an injury that could have curtailed his 2025 season.
Weddle still has a number of boxes that he needs to tick off before he can rejoin the main training group; however, there is a real possibility of him returning to the playing field in 2025 if the Hawks can continue their form and secure a spot in the finals series.
On the back of the return of Will Day, Mitchell Lewis and Calsher Dear from injuries that have interrupted their 2025 season, the positive news about a return for Weddle means that the Hawks will be at full strength if they make their second consecutive finals berth.
The Hawks, who are currently sitting at 13-6 and just outside the four, play fellow premiership contenders in Adelaide, Collingwood and Brisbane over the last month and will no doubt be buoyed by the possible availability of Weddle if they can secure their place in the top 8.
