HAWTHORN captain James Sicily has avoided surgery and could face Geelong this weekend despite dislocating his shoulder on Sunday for the second time this season, while father-son recruit Will McCabe will play his first game of football this weekend since being drafted last November.
Sicily underwent scans on Monday that ruled out surgery in the short-term, although a shoulder reconstruction is expected to be required at the end of the season. His shoulder popped out during the win over West Coast in Perth on Sunday.
The All-Australian defender completed a light training session at Waverley Park on Tuesday morning and will need to prove his fitness on Thursday before being cleared to face the Cats at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday.
Sicily initially dislocated his shoulder in the win over the Western Bulldogs in round eight and missed the following fortnight against St Kilda and Port Adelaide. Hawthorn opted against season-ending surgery in May, choosing instead to strengthen the joint over a three-week block before he returned against Brisbane in round 11.
Since then, Sicily has returned to the form that saw him win the Peter Crimmins Medal in 2022 and earn an All-Australian blazer last year, collecting coaches' votes on three occasions before the bye.
The 29-year-old could follow a similar rehabilitation plan and miss a game or two, but that decision has not yet been reached.
If he does require time on the sidelines again to strengthen his shoulder, Jai Serong is well placed to be recalled after strong form in the VFL. Serong was picked when Sicily didn't face the Saints in round ten and held his spot for the clash against the the Power, when Ethan Phillips was also picked for his one and only appearance of the season to date.
McCabe arrived at Waverley Park via pick No.19 in last November's AFL Draft after the Hawks matched a bid from North Melbourne, but has experienced a delayed start to his career due to bone stress in his lower back.
The 18-year-old started experiencing the issue early in the year and was on track to return before the mid-season bye, but the Hawks opted to hold him back to give him extra time to prepare around the weekend off.
The son of former Hawk and current football director Luke, McCabe is expected to play for Box Hill against Geelong on Sunday.
Mitch Lewis is also ready to return at AFL level for the first time since Easter Monday after playing a full game for Box Hill last Saturday, following a half in the VFL prior to the bye.
The 25-year-old has only played three games to start the year and will boost a forward line that has been spearheaded by Mabior Chol (22 goals), with small forwards Dylan Moore (24 goals) and Jack Ginnivan (17 goals) hitting the scoreboard.
First-year forward Calsher Dear was tactically subbed out of the 61-point win over the Eagles at Optus Stadium, while ruckman Ned Reeves is available this weekend after recovering from the back issue he suffered against the Giants in Launceston.
Dual All-Australian Chad Wingard is also a chance to return in the VFL after missing the past few weeks due to calf tightness.
Sam Mitchell's side has recovered from 0-5 to be half a game outside the eight after winning seven of its past eight games – including five straight for the first time since 2018 – to be 8-7 through 16 rounds.