Senior Coach Sam Mitchell has revealed defender Jarman Impey will miss the final game of the season after undergoing surgery on his ankle.
The 27-year-old went under the knife to have some metal work removed from his ankle this week, after celebrating his 150th game last weekend.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Mitchell said that addressing the issue now should see Impey available for the start of pre-season.
“He’s had a screw in his foot that has been causing him trouble for 10 or 12 weeks probably,” Mitchell said.
“He’s had his surgery already, which means he’ll be able to start pre-season strong, which will be important for him.
“He’s such an important player for us, and we just wanted to get it done as soon as we can.
“He did a great job carrying screws in his foot for that long.”
With just one game remaining, Mitchell weighed in on the Rising Star race, highlighting two young Hawks that deserve a nomination, in Finn Maginness and Connor Macdonald.
“I have been a little bit disappointed,” Mitchell said.
“Both him (Finn Maginness) and Connor Macdonald have played a lot of footy this year, so it would be great if they got a nomination.
“So if anyone’s listening and they play ok and do their part, then that would be good for them."
21-year-old Maginess has become one of the league’s best shut-down specialists, claiming several big scalps already in his 18-game career.
“Finn has become really reliable in that role,” Mitchell said.
“Unless you watch the game, you don’t recognise how good of a job he’s doing.
“It’s really good when you have another player who just you know will get the job done every week, and Finn has been added to that category over the last eight weeks."
Watch Mitchell’s full media conference below.
