HAWTHORN stars Ben McEvoy and Luke Breust will be unavailable for the club's season-opener against North Melbourne on Sunday after both entered the AFL's health and safety protocols.
But the club has revealed that draftees Josh Ward and Connor MacDonald will make their AFL debuts after impressing in the pre-season.
At just 18 years of age, Ward hasn't missed a beat since the club took him with pick No.7 in last year's NAB AFL Draft.
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He first turned heads by claiming the club's time trial honours, then, in the AAMI Community Series hitout against Richmond, he continued to show just what he's capable of when he collected a team-high 29 disposals.
Taken as pick 26 in last year's draft, MacDonald averaged 30 disposals last year in the NAB League for the Dandenong Stingrays.
In Hawthorn's intraclub hitout earlier this month, he was a noticeable influence on the game with his neat foot skills, pace and poise around the contest.
In March this year, coach Sam Mitchell told AFL.com.au that the players "love" MacDonald and they thought he was "nice and silky".
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"So when the players rate another player I think that's always a good sign they're on the right track, players pick up different things sometimes and they have a level of trust," Mitchell said.
The Hawks have also revealed that Jaeger O'Meara will captain the team in McEvoy's absence.
Hawthorn football boss Rob McCartney conceded dealing with player absentees would be the reality for all clubs at certain stages throughout the season.
"Obviously we would love to have Ben and Luke playing with us on Sunday, but our football department, and industry as a whole, is well-versed now in the need to be flexible throughout these times," McCartney said.
"Needless to say, we have great confidence in Jaeger's leadership and ability to step up this week ... [and] we're thrilled that both Josh and Connor will make their AFL debuts on Sunday, they really deserve this opportunity.
"We're looking forward to kicking off our season in front of our fans this weekend against the Kangaroos."