HAWTHORN champion Luke Hodge has urged for patience with recruit Jaeger O'Meara and is adamant he will be a "gun" for the Hawks despite his continued knee-related absence.

O'Meara arrived at Waverley Park in a much-scrutinised deal, not having played at AFL level since 2014 because of ongoing knee problems.

Bone bruising has restricted him to four matches this year after sustaining a knee knock against his old side in round three.

The 23-year-old returned for one game in round six, but has not been sighted since. Hawthorn officials have stated the current issue is unrelated to his previous injury.

"I think their priority is making sure this guy is going to be playing at the footy club for the next eight to 10 years – not rushing him back because they're getting a little bit of media pressure on him," Hodge said on Triple M.

"I'd prefer to miss him for half a year or 20 games if he could play for eight years.

"That is the priority of getting him in, because the bloke he is, the player we saw throughout the pre-season, when he gets his body right, he'll be a gun for the Hawthorn footy club."

O'Meara's return remains indefinite, but Hodge said he was confident the promising midfielder would play again this year.

"They just want to make sure when he plays now – there's no point (rushing), we're 17th on the ladder … he's really confident with his body and his mind's in a good space," Hodge said.

"The (doctors are) saying he's confident of playing this year. Our doctors see him every day. The doctors who have seen him probably haven't seen him since he was drafted."

The Hawks have the bye this week and return to action against the Crows at Adelaide Oval on Thursday.