HAWTHORN will be missing two stars for Saturday’s game against Port Adelaide this Saturday, with James Sicily and Jaeger O'Meara both ruled out with injury.
Sicily ruptured his ACL in the loss to West Coast at the weekend and will need 12 months off after surgery.
Vice-captain Jaeger O'Meara will also miss Saturday’s clash after suffering a fracture in his hand in the same game, and requiring surgery to insert a plate into it.
The Hawks could welcome back two running machines in Isaac Smith, who will need to pass a fitness test on his injured shoulder, and Tom Scully, who was given a rest against the Eagles.
The 16th-placed Hawks have only won once in their past eight matches but got a boost this week with first-year player Will Day signing a contract extension with the club.
The South Australian defender added two years to his current deal, tying him to Hawthorn until at least the end of 2023.
Port Adelaide holds the overall advantage with 19 wins in their 35 meetings but the Hawks have won three of the last four, including the last two at York Park in Tasmania in the Sir Doug Nicholls Rounds in 2018 and 2019.
The sides have not met at Adelaide Oval since 2017 when Port enjoyed a 51-point win after a blistering first-half performance.
Saturday’s game will be the 200th AFL game for Hawks skipper Ben Stratton, and will feature Harry Morrison, the cousin of Port Adelaide’s Tom Rockliff, who is also expected to line-up in his 200th AFL game.
Hawthorn will name its side on Friday evening for the game against Port the following afternoon.
