All-Australian forward Luke Breust says the Hawks will be more than happy not to rush Cyril Rioli and Paul Puopolo back into the side as they recover from injuries sustained on Sunday.
Rioli injured the medial ligament in his knee in the Hawks’ 67-point win over the Demons and is set to be sidelined for five to six weeks, while Puopolo also suffered a strained hamstring and is expected to miss between four and six weeks.
But speaking to Triple M on Tuesday, Breust said there was no hurry to bring either of the pair back into the Hawthorn line-up, preferring instead to see his fellow forwards at 100 per cent fitness before making their return.
“I don’t think there will be any rush with those two,” the triple-premiership player said.
“They’re very important players… (but) hopefully in their case they can be back out and playing in our forward line sooner rather than later.”
The Hawks are set to have multiple options to replace both Rioli and Puopolo, with the versatile Shaun Burgoyne a chance to make a Round 6 return, while the club’s depth at VFL level will also hold them in good stead.
“Shauny Burgoyne, guys like that, plus the Box Hill boys have been going pretty well so we’ve got a number of guys to come back in and fill a role for us,” Breust said.