The Hawks will welcome back a trio with almost 500 games of experience between them when Jordan Lewis, Brian Lake and Isaac Smith return to the team this weekend.

Saturday night’s game will be the first time the two 2014 grand final sides have met since the Hawks defeated the Swans by 63 points on the last Saturday in September. 

Defender Brian Lake comes back into the line-up after three weeks on the sidelines with a medial strain that he sustained in the team’s loss to Port Adelaide in Round 4. 

The veteran faces a big job on one of the Swans' star forwards, Franklin or Kurt Tippett, on his return.

Vice-captain Jordan Lewis is a valuable inclusion having missed two games through suspension after the Hawks fiery encounter with North Melbourne in Round 5, while speedster Smith will slot straight back in after missing last week due to illness.

The Swans sit third on the AFL ladder with five wins and two losses (to Fremantle and Western Bulldogs), while the 2014 premiers are looking to string their first consecutive win together for the 2015 season. 

Defenders Taylor Duryea and Angus Litherland, along with the Round 7 sub Jonathan Simpkin, have been omitted from the side that beat Melbourne by 105 points last weekend.

Saturday night's blockbuster will be Stratton's 100th game since he was recruited from East Perth with pick 46 in the 2009 NAB AFL Draft.

The athletic defender was nominated for a NAB AFL Rising Star in his first season, and has been part of the Hawks 2013 and 2014 premiership sides.

Round 8

Hawthorn v Sydney Swans

Saturday 23 May

MCG, 7.20pm

B: Burgoyne Lake Stratton 


HB: Birchall Frawley Gibson
C: Hill Mitchell Lewis
HF: Smith Gunston Rioli


F: Hale Roughead Breust

Foll: Ceglar Langford Shiels
I/C: Schoenmakers, Puopolo, Suckling, Hartung 

Emergencies: Duryea, Simpkin, Litherland

In: Lake, Lewis, Smith
Out: Simpkin (omitted), Duryea (omitted), Litherland (omitted)

Milestone: B.Stratton - 100 games

 

 


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