WITH finals football only two weeks away, Hawthorn will be looking to find its best form against Brisbane Lions on Saturday afternoon at Aurora Stadium.
The Hawks will be desperate to rebound from their 22-point defeat to Port Adelaide last week.
A win against the Lions will all but secure a top-four finish for the Hawks.
However, the Lions will also have plenty to play for, as they attempt to avoid the wooden spoon.
The form
It’s been a mixed bag for Hawthorn in the past four weeks, with hard-fought wins against West Coast Eagles and Geelong sandwiched between defeats to Richmond and Port Adelaide.
Midfielder Sam Mitchell has been a shining light in this period, averaging almost 30 disposals per match.
Brisbane Lions have won just one of their past 13 matches, but that was a convincing 64-point win against Carlton a fortnight ago.
Dayne Zorko has collected 61 disposals in the past fortnight, while Mitch Robinson has averaged almost 28 disposals per match across the past five weeks.
Recent history
It’s been a while since the Hawks and Lions last met.
The Hawks got over the line against the Lions in Round 1, 2014 last year by 38 points, with Luke Breust and Jarryd Roughead both kicking five goals.
The Hawks have won eight of their past nine matches against the Lions, with the Lions most recent win coming in 2009.
Six of those meetings have been at Aurora Stadium.
Possible changes
With Hawthorn skipper Luke Hodge out through suspension, Will Langford could be in line for a senior recall.
Langford has played the past two matches in the VFL after coming back from a knee injury.
Ruckmen David Hale and Jon Ceglar could be in contention, while at VFL level, Angus Litherland, Jonathan O’Rourke and James Sicily all made strong claims on the weekend.
Brisbane Lions could have two important inclusions for the match.
Classy midfielder Daniel Rich is expected to return from a glute injury, as is defender Justin Clarke from a jaw injury.
Jack Redden will miss the match after having groin surgery during the week.
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