HAWTHORN skipper Luke Hodge will step up contact work at training this week in a bid to make an early comeback from his fractured right arm against St Kilda on Saturday, teammate Sam Mitchell says.

Hodge was expected to miss between four and six weeks after suffering the break late in the Easter Monday loss to Geelong, but the tough-as-nails captain is making his case to return in Launceston.

While the Hawks haven't rued the absence of their skipper in wins over West Coast and the Western Bulldogs, the 31-year-old would be a timely inclusion ahead of a tricky run of matches.

After the Saints, Hawthorn faces Adelaide (MCG), Greater Western Sydney (Spotless Stadium), Richmond (MCG), Fremantle (Launceston) and the Sydney Swans (MCG). 

"We know that it's important that we get him (Hodge) back, but when he gets back, he stays back. If it means one more (week), then so be it," Mitchell said. 

"He's not doing much contact (work at training), or he didn't last week.

"He's playing a fair bit, doing a lot of the training and a lot of the running and with an upper limb injury you can run around still and your fitness doesn't drop off.

"It's just going to be the ball-handling and the tackling and spoiling and the physical side of the game, that he's never had too much trouble with really, so I think he'll be fine when he's right to go 100 per cent.

"I think the physical side of the training will start to step up now."