"He’s completed a good recovery from the hamstring injury which he had about a month ago and is ready to go," he said.

"A standard hamstring recovery program is about three weeks but because he is such a young player, and also such an explosive player, we decided it was best to err on the side of caution and give him the extra week."

While Rioli, who turns 20 next week, has been picked in the starting 22 the exact make-up of the Hawks' team won’t be known until Friday night when coach Alastair Clarkson finalises it.

Youngsters Ryan Schoenmakers and Brendan Whitecross have also been brought onto an extended bench.

The pair did not play for Box Hill last Saturday afternoon because they were named as emergencies for the Hawks' Saturday night clash with the Western Bulldogs.

"[Schoenmakers and Whitecross] are pretty fresh and ready to go. If selected today they’ll be right to play," Evans said.

In other injury news, Stuart Dew (quad) is still another week away while Brent Renouf (ankle) and Trent Croad (foot) continue their rehabilitation.

"Dew I don’t think will be available to play at any level this week and he is probably going to be another week but Renouf should play at Box Hill," Evans said.

"[Croad] has had some really good training sessions over the past three weeks in with the main group. He had a very full training session earlier this week and has pulled up OK out of that.

"If he keeps on progressing along this way, we’ll have to see where he is at over the next two to three weeks.

"We’d really need to see how he progresses. The next two to three weeks will tell us a lot as to whether he is close to returning to play. The signs are positive at this stage that he could return to play this year."

HAWTHORN
B: Guerra, Gilham, Murphy
HB: Birchall, Hodge, Ladson
C: Lewis, Mitchell, Ellis
HF: McGlynn, Franklin, Osborne
F: Rioli, Roughead, Brown
Foll: Campbell, Sewell, Bateman
I/C (from): Dowler, Kennedy, Shiels, Taylor, Schoenmakers, Stokes, Whitecross

In: Rioli, Schoenmakers, Whitecross