HAWTHORN is entering the "unknown" as Jon Ceglar – not long back from a major knee injury – prepares for an extended stint as the Hawks' No.1 ruckman in Ben McEvoy's absence.
McEvoy could miss up to six matches after requiring surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone suffered last week in a collision with Bulldog Josh Dunkley.
Exacerbating Hawthorn's ruck woes was that McEvoy's heir apparent, Marc Pittonet, hurt an ankle in the VFL and may not play at any level this weekend.
Alastair Clarkson and his coaching team instead opted to recall swingman Tim O'Brien to support Ceglar against Brisbane ruck duo Stefan Martin and Oscar McInerney.
Ceglar ruptured the ACL in his right knee against West Coast in round 22, 2016, and 646 days passed before he made his AFL return in May this year.
The 27-year-old has played five games this season, interrupted once by a corked quad that sidelined him for one game three weeks ago.
"It's an untimely out for us, too, coming up against Stef Martin," Clarkson told reporters at Melbourne Airport on Friday morning.
"You come up against good ruckmen every week, but he's been in particularly good form for them and been a keen reason why they've been pretty competitive through the midfield the last few weeks.
"We're not really certain (how Ceglar will go), because 'Cegs' hasn't done that role in isolation for a long period of time … so there's a little bit of the unknown for us, too.
"It's not just Martin, too – McInerney has been going in there and doing some really good work himself … so it looks a scary proposition right at the moment."
Making matters more interesting is that the Lions dished out the Hawks' biggest defeat this season, a 56-point loss at the Gabba in round nine.
This time they'll clash in Launceston, where Hawthorn is unbeaten in three matches in 2018 and boast wins in 24 of its last 26 visits.
But Brisbane is playing as well as it has all season and the last-start 65-point thrashing of Carlton delivered Chris Fagan's men their first back-to-back victories since rounds six and seven, 2015.
Young key forward Eric Hipwood is one beneficiary of that and is fresh from a career-high six goals.
James Frawley, who will play his 200th career game, looms as Hipwood's likely opponent, while Luke Hodge will face the Hawks for the second time since switching to the Lions.
"He was a pretty influential player for them the first time we played them about six or seven weeks ago, so he's been in good form," Clarkson said.
"His last three or four weeks, in particular, have been really strong and we know what we're coming up against, but, by and large, we lost that game through the middle of the ground.
"So it really has nothing to do with Hodgey.
"If we can get good-enough supply, then we'll put him and the rest of the Brisbane side under a little bit of pressure."
Clarkson also had some good news about oft-injured midfielder Jono O'Rourke, the No.2 pick in the 2012 NAB AFL Draft, saying his adductor strain might cost him only one week.
"He was touch and go," the coach said.
"We did some testing with him and given his history with injury – a little bit like Pittonet – it's no point taking these lads (in underdone) who are trying to find their way in League footy."
