Hawthorn Captain Ben Stratton is maintaining hope that star midfielder Jaeger O'Meara will prove his fitness ahead of the side's clash with Geelong next week.
Scans revealed a minor fracture in O'Meara's forehead after a training collision early last week and, while his availability remains up in the air, Stratton found an opportunity to poke fun at the injured on-baller.
"He is touch-and-go for Round 2, we will have to make a decision on that next week I think," Stratton told a press conference via Zoom on Wednesday.
"It's a tricky one, he will probably push to play but it is probably up to the doctors in the end.
"You don't want to muck around with a facial injury and definitely not with a man like Jaeger who prides himself on his looks."
When asked how the team was approaching the foreign environment of GMHBA Stadium that awaits the Hawks in their season restart, Stratton was nothing but positive about the occasion.
"It's going to be great!
"I've never played down at Geelong so it'll be nice to play down at a ground I've never played at and I don't think too many of the boys have either.
"I think, as much as we are preparing for the differences down in Geelong, it's just as important with our mental preparation to play footy again given we haven't done that for a fair while now.
"It's obviously a tough first month of opposition, but it'll be good to see where we're at."
