HAWTHORN key forward Calsher Dear will be managed until after the club’s mid-season bye, but Nick Watson is set to be available for Friday night’s top-eight clash against Adelaide in Launceston.
Dear won’t play at either level this weekend to give him an extended break ahead of the final nine games of the home and away season.
Dear kicked 3.0 against Frankston on Saturday and has now played six games for Box Hill – three either side of that game in Darwin – but a plan has been in place for weeks to manage him around the bye.
The father-son recruit kicked 25 goals from 17 appearance in his debut season, including 3.4 in the elimination final win over the Western Bulldogs, before experiencing an interrupted second summer.
Watson trained fully on Wednesday morning at Waverley Park after completing Monday’s session at Scotch College.
The 2023 pick No.5 missed last Thursday night’s win over the Bulldogs due to illness but has now fully recovered in time for the trip to Tasmania.
Hawthorn considered playing Watson in the VFL at the weekend, but chose to give him extra time to recover after falling crook last Tuesday.
Defender Jack Scrimshaw also trained fully after being managed and is expected to be available after a stop-start year to date.
Jack Scrimshaw sits on the bench during the round seven match between Hawthorn and West Coast at Marvel Stadium, on April 27, 2025. Picture: Getty Images/AFL Photos
Free agent James Worpel didn’t train with the main group on Wednesday and is unlikely to face Matthew Nicks’ side after being subbed out of the game against the Bulldogs with a badly corked quad.
Third-year midfielders Cam Mackenzie and Henry Hustwaite will both be considered for the clash in Launceston after strong performances for Box Hill.
Hawthorn will travel to Launceston on Thursday afternoon and complete a captain’s run at University of Tasmania Stadium under lights ahead of the first ever Friday night game at the venue.
