HAWTHORN has suffered a massive blow ahead of Saturday night's must-win clash with Greater Western Sydney with Jack Gunston a late withdrawal.
Gunston copped a corked calf in last week's win over Gold Coast in Tasmania and while he played out the match and booted three goals, the issue has ruled him out.
Youngster Conor Glass has replaced the star Hawk.
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Hawthorn footy manager Graham Wright said Gunston was close to playing but wasn't quite right.
"Obviously Jack is a really important player for us, so we wanted to give him every chance to recover from that corked calf," footy boss Graham Wright said.
"Unfortunately he is still experiencing some soreness so we’ve decided not to take the risk.
"Conor Glass comes in as his replacement on the back of some strong form for Box Hill.
"He always puts in 100 per cent effort, so we’re confident he’ll come in and play his role."
GWS is unchanged for the match that is crucial for both sides with Hawthorn (ninth) and the Giants (10th) looking to crack into the top eight with a win.
Greater Western Sydney v Hawthorn at Spotless Stadium, 7.25pm AEST
LATE CHANGES
Greater Western Sydney: Nil
Hawthorn: Jack Gunston (corked calf) replaced in selected side by Conor Glass
FINAL INTERCHANGES
Greater Western Sydney: Adam Tomlinson, Jeremy Finlayson, Rory Lobb, Sam Reid
Hawthorn: Will Langford, Ricky Henderson, Harry Morrison, Conor Glass
