HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson says a conservative selection policy and not a worse-than-feared knee injury is behind Luke Hodge's absence from the side to take on Collingwood on Saturday.
Hodge heavily jarred his knee late in last week's big win over Fremantle, sparking fears of a serious injury.
The key playmaker was a notable absentee from the team sheet released on Thursday afternoon, but Clarkson gave Hodge a clean bill of health on Friday.
"I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't pick him to be fair. He ran yesterday and was [fine]," Clarkson said from Waverley Park on Friday.
"If it had been a final we probably would have played him, but we've just got to make sure that he's right. We've got a cut-throat final next week. Whether we finish anywhere from fifth to eighth we want to have him available for us.
"We could do everything right tomorrow, play tremendously well and win that game of footy and still finish seventh on the ladder having risked Hodge to play, so there was just no point taking any risk at all.
"He's pulled up well, but we're better off just making sure he's absolutely right for next week."
Teammate Grant Birchall has not been so lucky with Clarkson revealing his hamstring tear would require between two and four weeks of recovery time.
There are a number of finals scenarios that can unfold depending on results over the weekend, with a home final at the MCG the most favourable outcome for the Hawks.
"We can't do anything about that," Clarkson said.
"All we can do is approach the Collingwood game and use it as an opportunity to test ourselves against what has been the best side in the competition over the last 12 months and see where it takes us.
"If that means we happen to salute and a team above us falls over, then we'll secure ourselves a home final. But if that's not the case then hopefully we'll get a good measuring stick in how we test ourselves against Collingwood, and see how that might prepare ourselves for a finals campaign.
"It will be a really good test to see where we're at as a side. We just want to carry some good form into September and who knows what will happen once we're there?"
In other injury news, time has run out for luckless ruckman Max Bailey who has been racing the clock to return to the field after his third knee reconstruction.
As little as three weeks ago, Clarkson hoped Bailey might be able to play football at some level before season's end, but the club has opted to put him in cotton wool to give him the best possible shot at an unhindered pre-season campaign.
