Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson has revealed recruit Jaeger O'Meara is still at least three weeks away from returning to the senior side.
O'Meara, who arrived at the club with a debilitating knee injury which kept him out of the game for two years, has not played since round six due to a knee complaint.
The 23-year-old played the opening three rounds of the season, before copping a knock to his knee, which saw him miss two weeks.
The club was quick to alley fears that it was not related to his previous injuries, stating it was merely bruising.
However, after returning in round six, he has subsequently missed the following three matches.
Clarkson told reporters on Thursday he is hopeful O'Meara will return after the club's bye in round 13.
"(O'Meara)'s going along OK. We're hoping he'll be able to step it up over the next few weeks,"ย Clarkson said.
"We probably wouldn't anticipate he plays before the bye (in round 13, on the weekend of June 17 and 18), but his training's been really strong.
"We've got a really good conditioning block into him and he's progressing well through that and will be back into full training pretty soon, I reckon."
Hawthorn travel to Sydney to face the Swans on Saturday afternoon.
