Debutant duo Jack Saunders and Ned Long will take the field for the first time when the Hawks face the Western Bulldogs at UTAS Stadium on Sunday.
The pair, alongside Connor Macdonald, Max Lynch and Daniel Howe, have been named in the starting 22 for Hawthorn’s final game of the home-and-away season.
Saunders, a second-year Hawk, gets his opportunity after a strong season for Box Hill in the VFL.
Fellow debutant Long, who joined Hawthorn with Pick 5 in the 2021 rookie draft, becomes the fifth first-year player to make his debut this year.
Macdonald has also returned to the Hawks team, marking his 20th AFL appearance in what has been an impressive first year.
Lynch re-enters the side for his first game since Round 10, while Daniel Howe also features for his ninth outing this season.
Head of Football Rob McCartney said the four inclusions for this week have all shown good form in recent weeks for Box Hill.
“Obviously the inclusion of two debutants brings great excitement for all at our club and we look forward to what they can do on the bigger AFL stage,” McCartney said.
“In an injury-interrupted year, this will be Lynch’s seventh game of the season and we’re keen to see what he can do in tandem with McEvoy against a strong Western Bulldogs midfield.
“Dan Howe is a true competitor and we’re never left wondering what we’re going to get from him - his effort is always first-class.”
Jarman Impey (foot), Jacob Koschitzke (omitted), Liam Shiels (omitted), Jai Serong (omitted) and Emerson Jeka (omitted) are the players that will make way for the incoming group.
The Round 23 game also marks Hawks Captain Ben McEvoy’s final outing and Conor Nash’s 50th career game.
McEvoy, who has been the club’s captain for the last two seasons, will retire a 252-game player after a career that has spanned 15 years.
Nash is amidst his fifth campaign at Hawthorn, having joined the club at the end of 2016 as an international rookie.
Sunday’s game will begin at 1.10pm AEST and will be broadcast via Fox Footy.
Check out the full team for the Round 23 match below.
ROUND 23 TEAM
Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs
Sunday 21 August, 1.10pm AEST
UTAS Stadium
B: Denver Grainger-Barras, James Blanck, Blake Hardwick
HB: Jack Scrimshaw, James Sicily, Will Day
C: Finn Maginness, Jaeger O’Meara, Harry Morrison
HF: Ned Long, Luke Breust, Josh Ward
F: Connor Macdonald, Jack Gunston, Jack Saunders
R: Ben McEvoy, Jai Newcombe, Tom Mitchell
INT: Daniel Howe, Conor Nash, Dylan Moore, Max Lynch
Emer: Liam Shiels, Jackson Callow, Jai Serong, Emerson Jeka
In: Jack Saunders, Ned Long, Connor Macdonald, Max Lynch, Daniel Howe
Out: Jarman Impey (foot), Jacob Koschitzke (omitted), Emerson Jeka (omitted), Liam Shiels (omitted), Jai Serong (omitted)
