Jarryd Roughead wants Hawthorn to take a conservative approach with playmaker Cyril Rioli

HAWTHORN captain Jarryd Roughead would prefer the Hawks take a conservative approach with playmaker Cyril Rioli to ensure the gun forward lasts the entire season.

HAWTHORN captain Jarryd Roughead would prefer the Hawks take a conservative approach with Cyril Rioli to ensure the gun forward lasts the season.

Rioli is “right in the mix” for Round 1 according to Hawthorn’s high performance boss Andrew Russell, but Roughead wants the club to think long term.

“Everyone here’s like … is this person ready for Round 1, is this person ready for Round 1?” Roughead said.

BLOG RE-CAP: AFL CAPTAINS’ FINALS, PREMIERSHIP TIPS

BAROMETER: EVERY CLUB’S ROUND 1 CASUALTY WARD

NEW DEALS: EXTRA YEAR FOR ROUGHEAD, FRAWLEY

“I want to know that too, but is he right for longevity? He could be good now, but does it impact him longer in the season?

“If we can get 20 games out of him rather than five and then he breaks down again, well I know what I’d want.”

Jaeger O’Meara has showed glimpses of his potential this pre-season after a luckless run of injuries where he missed two full seasons because of a knee problem, playing just six games for the Hawks in 2017 after crossing from Gold Coast.

Cyril Rioli at Hawthorn training.

Jarryd Roughead at AFL captains day.

Roughead said the 2013 Rising Star deserved a break.

“I think we just let the kid go and play footy,” Roughead said.

“As harsh as it is for him, he cops it every time he does an interview or there’s a story about him, it’s always because he’s injured or there’s something wrong with him, so how I feel as a teammate and a mate, just let’s go let him play footy.

“That’s what he’s wanted to do probably since he was eight, nine-years old, everything we write or say about him has always got to do with a negative so let’s try and turn it around into a positive.

“He got a Brownlow vote in his last (game) of the year, so he’s in form if we’re talking about most recent form.

“You look, there’s no tape on his knee and stuff like that, so it’s good.”