Hawthorn ruckman Max Lynch won’t play for a third game as he recovers from concussion

A second concussion in 2022 will mean a longer than expected break for a Hawthorn ruckman.

Hawthorn ruckman Max Lynch is still out. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images

Hawthorn ruckman Max Lynch is set to miss another week as the club takes a very conservative path for his return from a second concussion this season, but changes loom for the clash with Fremantle in Perth.

Key defender Sam Frost will return from suspension and Hawks coach Sam Mitchell expects Jack Scrimshaw to be available after missing the narrow loss to Collingwood with concussion.

But Lynch, who hasn’t played since suffering concussion in the round 10 clash with Brisbane, will miss a third game, but the return of ruckman Ned Reeves ensures Hawthorn doesn’t have to take any risks with his comeback.

“We’re being quite conservative with (Lynch’s) progression given that it’s his second concussion this season,” Mitchell said on Wednesday.

“I‘m not the expert in this area, but (Lynch) and Josh Ward both remain unavailable because the way we’ve tried to get them through is that slow, safe, conservative method.”

The Hawks will need to replace star forward Jack Gunston, who injured his ankle against the Magpies, and a 31-disposal effort from James Worpel in the VFL should ensure he’s in the selection discussion.

And while Nat Fyfe may be a two-time Brownlow medallist, Mitchell said there “won’t be too much focus” on the returning superstar who is set to make his 2022 debut after off-season shoulder and back surgery.

GRIFFIN LOGUE | 🎧

The @freodockers defender turned forward spoke to The Sports Daily this morning about;
- Player standards
- His new role
- Nat Fyfe's return

LISTEN ▶️ https://t.co/eFrIZ5wlDCpic.twitter.com/s8lh4VTPKD

— TABradio (@TABradio) June 8, 2022

Instead, Mitchell said the Dockers, who have beaten premiership contenders Melbourne and Brisbane in back-to-back weeks, had new threats, including midfield star Andrew Brayshaw and ruckman Sean Darcy.

“(Fyfe) is a superstar of the game and has been for over a decade now, but the thing that’s different with Freo (this year) is that they’re a very even and very well-balanced team,” Mitchell said.

“Their whole team is playing really good football … and they‘ve got really talented players all over the oval.

“Their reliance on Fyfe is a little bit less, so there won‘t be too much focus on him.

“He hasn‘t been named yet so we haven’t spoken about testing him out physically, but I imagine it’s likely to be a reasonably physical game.

“We expect a bit of rain over there across the course of the week … so we’ll see what happens.”