HAWTHORN young gun Calsher Dear has been ruled out of the start of the season due to the bone stress reaction in his back, which has derailed his second pre-season at Waverley Park.
The 19-year-old underwent another scan recently and isn't expected to be available until after Gather Round in April at the earliest.
Dear hasn't trained with the main group since December and will gradually be integrated back into training over the next couple of months.
Hawthorn dealt with a similar situation this time last year when teenage draftee Will McCabe discovered bone stress in his lower back.
The father-son recruit was ultimately sidelined for more than four months and didn't play in the VFL until July, managing seven appearances for Box Hill in his first season at the club.
Dear – Hawthorn's other father-son recruit from the 2023 Telstra AFL Draft – produced a stunning debut season in 2024, playing 17 games after making his debut in round eight.
The son of the late Norm Smith medallist Paul featured in both finals last September, kicking 3.4 against the Western Bulldogs in Hawthorn's first finals win since the 2015 Grand Final.
Hawthorn hopes to regain Dear in the first half of 2025, but won't rush the teenager, with a more concrete timeline to be determined after another scan next month.
Connor Macdonald returned to full training on Wednesday after spraining his ankle during Hawthorn's pre-season camp on the Surf Coast last month.
The 22-year-old, who has played 66 of a possible 70 games since making his debut at the start of 2022, is expected to play some minutes in Monday's match simulation against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.
The Hawks will start the new campaign without Mitch Lewis in attack, with the Victorian still recovering from the knee reconstruction he underwent last July.
Lewis has spent the past fortnight in the United States working with renowned rehab specialist Bill Knowles in Philadelphia, alongside key defender James Blanck, who is also targeting a return by mid-season.
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With Dear and Lewis both unavailable to start 2025, Max Ramsden has surged into Opening Round selection contention across the summer.
The 21-year-old has only played five games for the Hawks across his three years at Waverley Park, but the athletic ruck-forward has been one of the big improvers at Hawthorn over the pre-season, pushing Mabior Chol for a spot inside 50.
Chol exceeded expectations in his first season in brown and gold, kicking 37.21 from 23 appearances, including 13 games with multiple goals to his name.
Blake Hardwick has spent the summer training as a forward, like he did last pre-season, but the former Eastern Ranges sharpshooter is expected to settle inside 50 this year.
Hawthorn will host the Western Bulldogs at University of Tasmania Stadium on February 27 during the AAMI Community Series, ahead of the Opening Round clash against Sydney at the SCG on March 7.