HAWTHORN defender Matt Suckling's return to action has been delayed, with the Hawks deciding not to unleash the damaging left-footer in this weekend's VFL young guns match.
Suckling was expected to make his comeback from a knee injury sustained in round 22 in the exhibition game on Sunday, alongside teammate Ryan Schoenmakers.
But the Hawks have opted to prepare the 26-year-old on the training track ahead of their preliminary final next weekend.
Suckling won't have played at any level for four weeks before the preliminary final but he has been pushing himself at training.
He completed a heavy session – including match simulation – with Hawthorn's main group at Waverley on Friday.
Schoenmakers and ruckman Ben McEvoy did not take part in the session ahead of their matches this weekend.
Schoenmakers will play the young guns game – the curtain-raiser to Box Hill's VFL preliminary final against Williamstown - in a bid to win back his spot after he was dropped for Hawthorn's qualifying final win over Geelong.
The Hawks applied for Suckling and Schoenmakers to play in the young guns game because they were not qualified to play VFL finals.
McEvoy had not qualified either, but was cleared to play for Box Hill after AFL Victoria threw out Williamstown's appeal on Wednesday night.
The ex-Saints ruckman has not played at AFL level since round 21 after slipping behind surprise packet Jonathon Ceglar and David Hale in the pecking order.
