Liam Shiels will have to prove his fitness prior to Saturday night’s clash with St Kilda.

The Hawthorn vice captain hurt his back during the third quarter of his side’s Round 5 loss and was unable to return to the field.

“He got crunched pretty heavily in a contest and had some spasms in his back,” Director of High Performance Andrew Russell said during the club’s injury report.

“We couldn’t get him back out there which is unfortunate because he was starting to go pretty well in that third quarter.

“But he’s settling down well, he’s a test to play and we think he’s a pretty good chance of getting up.”

The Hawks’ Round 6 line up is also likely to be buoyed by the return of Shaun Burgoyne, who, according to Russell, has progressed well in his recovery from a hamstring injury.

“Shaun looks great, he’s trained well and we’re really confident that he’ll play this week.”

Watch this week’s Bupa Recovery Report for updates on Rioli, Puopolo, Ceglar and Schoenmakers.