PLAYING his football on a selection knife-edge seems to suit Jonathon Ceglar.
The developing ruckman is a week-to-week proposition at Hawthorn, but after stringing together five matches in a row he's making it as tough as he possibly can for the Hawks coaching staff to drop him.
Ceglar received a huge vote of confidence when he was selected ahead of big name recruit Ben McEvoy to play Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday.
And the 204cm former rookie responded with arguably his best game of the season in the Hawks' 29-point win.
Ceglar took full advantage of the Pies dropping Brodie Grundy and had the better of Jarrod Witts as he collected 13 touches, took six marks, won 15 hit-outs and booted a goal.
"It was good going into the game I felt like I had the confidence of the coaches and the boys to rely on me," Ceglar told AFL.com.au.
The faith from the coaching staff was telling, with David Hale substituted at three-quarter time and Ceglar remaining as the Hawks' sole ruckman.
Across town, though, McEvoy was lighting up Casey Fields with a best-on-ground five-goal display for Box Hill.
As well as Ceglar played, he can't be sure whether he has done enough to earn his 10th career game against Gold Coast in Launceston on Saturday.
"It's just my goal to take my opportunity and control what I can control," Ceglar said.
"(I'm trying to) make it hard for the coaches to leave me out really. You're always on edge a bit, but it's making us play good footy at the moment.
"I don't think anyone can get comfortable in this side with the amount of depth we've shown.
"Every week someone will say there's five or six out, but we keep winning."
Ceglar credits hard work with ruck coach Damian Monkhorst, as well as improved fitness, size and maturity for his strong form.
He's averaging 13 touches and 19 hit-outs in his seven matches after starting the season as a clear back-up to first-choice duo Hale and McEvoy.
Stand-in Hawthorn coach Brendon Bolton couldn't guarantee Ceglar's position, but was delighted with the Hawks' ruck stocks.
"It's just good that we've got pressure. (Luke) Lowden's out of the side at the moment, so's Macca. It's just good pressure amongst the whole four of them…which is what you want in a footy club," Bolton said.
The Hawks are building towards their best 22 after an injury-riddled campaign, with Sam Mitchell and Ben Stratton set to return in the coming weeks.
