Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson hopeful injured pair Jaeger O’Meara and Blake Hardwick will be ready for Geelong clash
Alastair Clarkson concedes Hawthorn’s season resumption against Geelong will be a “significant challenge”, a task he hopes will be made easier with the possible inclusions of Jaeger O’Meara and Blake Hardwick.
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Hawthorn will give injured stars Jaeger O’Meara and Blake Hardwick every chance to prove their fitness ahead of what coach Alastair Clarkson has described as a “significant challenge” against Geelong next Friday night.
O’Meara (facial fracture) is keen to play but will need clearance from doctors after being involved in a training mishap last Monday.
Hardwick has recovered from injured pectoral muscle that saw him miss Round 1, but the limited contact work he has been able to complete since early March has the defender remaining under a cloud for Round 2.
Clarkson said on Friday the Hawks would wait until Wednesday or Thursday next week to make a final call on the availability of both players, with O’Meara considered a more likely prospect of featuring against the Cats.
“He’ll do some training and we’ll be guided by the surgeons and the doctors in that space,” Clarkson said of O’Meara.
“We’re hopeful and he’s hopeful that he’ll be available to play. We’re still exploring if he can play with some sort of guard or padding.
“But he’s tracking well. If you looked at him, certainly his manner around the footy club, you wouldn’t know there’s anything wrong and he’s keen to play.”
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The Hawks have not made the trip to GMHBA Stadium to face Geelong since Round 3, 2006 – which was Clarkson’s second season in charge.
However, the master coach said his team would adopt an anywhere, anytime mentality ahead of the clash.
“Ironically enough the last time we played down there we won by 52 points,” Clarkson said.
“The shape of the ground probably works in Geelong’s favour more than the opposition. But having said that, it’s got green grass, four goalposts at either end, a centre square, a centre circle and two 50m arcs.
“It’s as simple as that. That’s the exciting part about returning to play. We don’t care where it is, what time, who the opposition is. We just want to get out there and play.”
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Clarkson said he had not yet spoken to Chad Wingard but the Hawks were fully supportive of his self-imposed media ban and the stance he has taken over calling out racism on social media this week.
“I’ll speak to him in the next day or two but this isn’t uncommon for us to be having chats.
“These conversations happen on a regular basis but it’s just this one’s been a little bit more public because Chad, in his wisdom, has decided to take a stance and I think it’s a good stance to take in the circumstances.”