HAWTHORN will be without star spearhead Mitch Lewis for the final game of the home and away season, but Peter Crimmins Medal contender Jai Newcombe is set to return against Fremantle at the MCG on Saturday.
Lewis missed Sunday's 27-point loss to Melbourne after sustaining a mid-foot sprain in the round 22 win over the Western Bulldogs that will see him miss the end of the season for the second straight year.
The 24-year-old has been in a moonboot for most of the last two weeks and didn't train with the main group at Waverley Park on Thursday morning.
"Unfortunately that mid-foot sprain, he can put weight on it now but it's not quite ready to play," Mitchell said.
"Jai will train today and we assume he'll be fine to play."
Newcombe was a late withdrawal against the Demons due to hamstring tightness, but after training on Tuesday the midfielder trained again on Thursday and looks set to finish the season.
The 22-year-old has backed up his breakout 2022 season, where he finished runner-up in the best and fairest and third in the Rising Star, with an even better 2023 campaign that has him in contention to be included in the All-Australian squad.
Former top-10 pick Denver Grainger-Barras left the track early with a calf complaint and is set to miss the clash against the Dockers, but mid-season recruit Brandon Ryan is expected to be available for selection after missing the past fortnight due to illness.
The 25-year-old made his debut against St Kilda in round 20 and then kicked three goals the following week against Collingwood before missing the game against the Western Bulldogs in round 22.
"Last week he was sick and technically he could have played, but he just hadn't trained at all. We brought him into the squad and we hoped that he would come good but he just wasn't able to do any training until the end of last week," Mitchell said.
"He isn't carrying a lot of body weight anyway. If he gets through training today, that will make him available. We expect he will be. But he'll be a little bit underdone."
Mitchell confirmed that Henry Hustwaite will play again after collecting 15 disposals and kicking two goals in an impressive debut last weekend as a late inclusion for Newcombe, while Jai Serong will play in the 22 after starting as the sub in his first senior appearance of 2023.
"Henry will play. He did a great job, I think. I said to the players, 'How many players have we said this guy has a fitness test, if he doesn't get up, you’ll be in?' There was 10 or 11 in the room and none of them had got a chance until Henry. He had his first game and he took that opportunity so he'll get to finish in the seniors," he said.
Tagger Finn Maginness secured a two-year contract extension on Tuesday after reigniting his role in Hawthorn's best 22 across the past two months by executing roles on Josh Kelly and Nick Daicos before Clayton Oliver on Sunday.
The father-son recruit clamped the three-time All-Australian midfielder, much to the frustration of Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin in the aftermath, but Mitchell is thrilled with the role the 22-year-old is performing on a weekly basis.
"I think every player in the competition would love to be called challenging and frustrating by the opposition. I've seen plenty of vision of him trying to get the footy. He is certainly a negator first," he said.
"I've been really proud of his effort and his growth throughout this year. He started in the side and then had a long period out of the side. Now he is causing opposition coaches to call him challenging and frustrating. I think you've got to be really proud of what he's done as an individual player."
Former Richmond captain and current Hawthorn assistant coach Chris Newman has been shortlisted for the coaching vacancy at Punt Road after spending the past eight seasons at Waverley Park, having called time on his 268-game career in the yellow and black.
Mitchell believes the 41-year-old is ready to take the reins of his own AFL team after coaching Box Hill in the VFL, the backline and now the forwards, although he doesn't want to lose him just yet.
"Every time he walks into the room at the moment everyone says, 'Shhhh, he is here.' Hopefully he is enjoying the banter," he joked.
"I'm always really torn on this. Yes, he is (ready to be a senior coach). There is a part of me that wants to say no (he is not ready), so he stays with us because he certainly helps us a significant amount in his coaching," he said.
"He is a good friend of mine and his coaching resume is fantastic, the way he has gone about it and the way he has made progress since he started. (He) coached Box Hill to a premiership and had success there. He has been the backline coach for a long period of time. Now he's moved into the front half where we've had challenges."
