AS HAWTHORN decides whether to challenge Jarryd Roughead's one-match suspension, the club received some good news on Monday with forward Jack Gunston returning to the training track at Waverley.

Gunston missed Saturday's 50-point win over Melbourne with a medial ligament injury suffered against the Western Bulldogs nine days ago.

The 22-year-old, who was expected to miss up to three weeks, underwent a light test on his damaged right knee.
However, Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson poured cold water on Gunston's prospects for a return for Sunday's game against Fremantle.

"He's coming along fine. He's got a medial ligament strain and we'll determine the time frame in which he comes back," Clarkson said on Monday.

"But he'd be pretty doubtful to play this week, I reckon."

With the knee bandaged, Gunston jogged about 100m in a straight line several times at Waverley under the supervision of head fitness coach Andrew Russell.

He then started swerving from side to side as he ran, appearing to complete the drill without issue before returning indoors.

Clarkson was non-committal on whether Brian Lake would return directly to the senior side, having now served his four-game suspension for a choke hold on North Melbourne's Drew Petrie.

"We'll need to have a look at the Fremantle side and how they might put their forward line together and we'll make a determination on whether he's best suited (to play AFL) or whether he needs a run at Box Hill (in the VFL) to get a bit of match fitness," Clarkson said.

Should Gunston and Roughead both be unavailable it would be the first match the Hawks have played without either of their key forwards this season.

Roughead, who leads the Coleman Medal race with 55 goals, has been reprimanded for tripping Dom Tyson on Saturday.

Even if the spearhead pleads guilty he will still miss the clash against the Dockers due to his previous poor record.

Challenging the Match Review Panel's decision at the AFL Tribunal is Roughead's only hope of playing at Patersons Stadium.

Roughead was reported for tripping Tyson and had 64.06 carryover points hanging over his head.

Meanwhile, Hawks skipper Luke Hodge trained with the main group on Monday, easing fears he was sore after copping a knee to the side from Demons ruckman Mark Jamar.

Hodge was substituted out of the win over Melbourne at three-quarter time.