INJURED Hawthorn pair Mitch Lewis and James Blanck will travel to the United States next week to complete a rehabilitation block with internationally renowned reconditioning guru Bill Knowles.
The key position players will train at Knowles Athletic in Philadelphia where the American has built a reputation as one of the leading rehab experts in the world, using a unique approach to enhance recoveries from anterior cruciate ligament ruptures.
Knowles has more than three decades of experience and has been working with AFL players since two-time Geelong premiership player Max Rooke first visited Philadelphia in 2010, with players from another dozen clubs visiting since then.
Lewis and Blanck both started running in the closing months of 2024 and are aiming to return to action by midway through this year after undergoing knee reconstructions last year.
Blanck tore his ACL in Hawthorn's intra-club almost 12 months ago but is at a similar position in his rehabilitation to Lewis due to complications following the initial reconstruction, which required multiple rounds of further surgery.
Lewis suffered his own ACL tear in round 17 – his first senior game since Easter Monday and just fourth for the campaign – after initially being cleared of a torn ACL at the ground, continuing his nightmare run of knee injuries.
Hawthorn rehabilitation coordinator Jack Price has worked closely with the pair and will also travel to the United States to maximise the learnings.
Rehabilitation trips such as these are expensive, but the Hawks have always been prepared to provide their players with the best possible medical treatment. Last year, the club sent Changkuoth Jiath to Aspetar in Qatar with veteran physiotherapist Andrew Lambart to help the half-back overcome the soft tissue issues that have plagued him.
Knowles has worked with Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca, West Coast great Nic Naitanui, Greater Western Sydney veteran Cal Ward and Carlton star Sam Docherty among other stars in the past, developing planned performance reconditioning strategies following long-term injuries.
International superstars Tiger Woods, Andy Murray, Peyton Manning, Jonny Wilkinson, Alex Rodriquez and Frank Lampard are also some of Knowles' illustrious past clients.
Gold Coast made a sizeable investment at the end of 2022 to bring Knowles out to Queensland for a couple of weeks at a time when Ben King, Lachie Weller and Connor Budarick were all recovering from knee reconstructions.
Hawthorn invested heavily during last year's free agency and trade period, landing Josh Battle from St Kilda and Tom Barrass from West Coast to help the club take the next step after playing finals for the first time since 2018. But if Lewis can recover and play a role in the second half of 2025, the Victorian could be equally as important come September.
The 26-year-old emerged as a star in 2022 when he kicked 37.15 from 15 appearances before adding 36.20 from 15 games the following year, but has struggled to stay on the park across his career to date.
Hawthorn will accelerate its preparations for the 2025 campaign when they head down the highway on February 17 to face Geelong in a scratch match at GMHBA Stadium.
Sam Mitchell's men will then host the Western Bulldogs at University of Tasmania Stadium in the AAMI Community Series on February 27 ahead of their Opening Round clash against Sydney at the SCG on March 7.
