HAWTHORN will welcome back three premiership players for tomorrow night’s crunch Qualifying Final against Geelong at the MCG.

The Hawks have made three changes and will welcome back Captain Luke Hodge (knee soreness), Ben Stratton (calf cork) and Bradley Hill (corked quad) from their respective injury complaints.

The return of the trio comes at the expense of Ryan Schoenmakers, Angus Litherland and Billy Hartung, all of whom have been omitted.

Hodge, Stratton and Hill missed just one week with their respective ailments, with GM – Football Operations declaring the rest last week has re-invigorated them for a testing finals campaign.

Full back Brian Lake has been named after completing the team’s final training session today and will line-up against Tom Hawkins tomorrow night.

Lake was previously in doubt for the clash due to a corked thigh sustained against Collingwood last week that saw him subbed out just before three-quarter time.

As Alastair Clarkson revealed earlier in the day, superboot Matt Suckling won’t play as he continues to overcome a knee injury sustained against the Cats two weeks ago.

With just the three inclusions, it means Coach Alastair Clarkson has opted to stick with the winning ruck formula of the past two weeks in David Hale and Jonathon Ceglar.

Ben McEvoy has been named as an emergency despite a best on ground performance for Box Hill last week.

Hale (three goals) and Ceglar (23 hit outs, 10 touches) starred for the Hawks in the Round 22 meeting between the Hawks and Cats, getting the better of opponents Hamish McIntosh and Mark Blicavs to emerge as the dominant ruckmen on the ground.

McEvoy is joined by Hartung and Litherland as the three named emergencies.

Qualifying Final
Hawthorn v Geelong
Friday 5 September
MCG, 7.50pm

FB: Gibson Lake Stratton
HB: Mitchell Birchall Langford
C: Hill Hodge Smith
HF: Breust Spangher Lewis
FF: Puopolo Roughead Gunston
Foll: Hale Shiels Burgoyne
Int: Duryea Ceglar Sewell Simpkin
Emerg: Hartung McEvoy Litherland

IN: L.Hodge , B.Stratton , B.Hill
OUT: R.Schoenmakers, A.Litherland, B.Hartung (all omitted)

Milestone: L.Shiels - 100 games , B.Sewell - 200 games