HAWTHORN'S depleted backline stocks could be replenished by the surprise return of James Frawley for the clash with Greater Western Sydney on Saturday.
Frawley has been sidelined since round two, when he suffered a low-grade pectoral tear in the first quarter of the Hawks' two-point loss to Essendon.
The key defender was expected to miss somewhere between four to six weeks.
"[It's] coming along really well, after the scans and stuff it probably wasn't as bad as first thought," Frawley told the club's website on Wednesday.
"[I'm] just getting the strength back up in the weights room now, so hopefully not too far away.
"Hopefully I can get back out there in the next couple of weeks and help them out and try and do the job with them."
After a strong training session on Tuesday, general manager of football operations Chris Fagan said the key defender was "a bit of a chance for this week".
"He trained well this morning and I know was fairly buoyant himself after that training session," Fagan told the club's website on Tuesday.
"So that'll just come down to a decision that's made between he, the medical staff and our fitness guys at the end of the week, but I think that's good news.
"I'm pretty certain that if he doesn't play this week he'll be a really good chance the following week."
After the Giants, the Hawks face Frawley's former club Melbourne at the MCG in round seven.
In more good news, veteran fullback Brian Lake (knee) could also make his comeback against the Demons
Lake damaged his medial ligament in the round four loss to Port Adelaide, but is already back running.
"With Grant Birchall when he hurt his medial in the pre-season, it took him six or seven weeks to come right and he was wandering around in a brace for two or three weeks – that hasn't been the case for Brian so he's progressing well," Fagan said.
"He might even be back in a couple of weeks' time, we'll just have to wait and see."
Regaining Frawley and Lake would be huge boosts for the Hawks, who face Lance Franklin's Sydney Swans in the Grand Final re-match in round eight.
But premiership backman Matt Spangher is still about a month away after he strained a hamstring in the opening round of the VFL season on April 18.
"Matt Spangher's hamstring issue is a little bit slow, but he turned the corner early this week and he's started doing his running program and he's probably still four or five weeks away, at a guess," Fagan said.
The Hawks confirmed Paul Puopolo (corked leg) should be fit to take on GWS after he was a late withdrawal from Saturday night's 60-point belting of North Melbourne.
