VERSATILE Hawthorn veteran Shaun Burgoyne is targeting a return in round three of the NAB Cup as he enters the final stages of recovery from post-season ankle surgery.

The 30-year-old will sit out the Hawks' first pre-season outing on Saturday night after damaging the ankle in last year's finals series.

He was unable to run until Christmas, but has since gradually re-built his fitness.

"I hurt some ligaments in the preliminary final, and then a bit more in the Grand Final," Burgoyne told AFL.com.au this week.

"There was a bit of syndesmosis where a bit of the bone came apart, so it was just tightening up of the ligaments and so on.

"It was a surgery I needed to have so that hopefully I have no problems later in life.

"I'm back training full on now, so it's just a matter of putting some time and extra kilometers into the legs."

Like many clubs, the Hawks are grappling with how best to re-introduce injured players in the latter stages of the pre-season competition, with the AFL's trial on a cap of 80 interchange rotations set to create challenges.

Alongside Burgoyne, Hawthorn will hope to give game time to captain Luke Hodge and perhaps also Michael Osborne – both on the comeback from knee surgery.

The interchange restrictions will mean it is more difficult to ease players through limited game time, an issue already raised by Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson.

"I think most clubs are going to have the same issue in bringing guys back who have had injury-interrupted pre-seasons," Burgoyne said.

"How do you manage it? With the limited interchanges, it's going to be really hard, I would think.

"You don't want to put the players who are coming back and need to be modified at risk, but at the same time you don't want to overplay the other players and put them at risk.

"It's something the coaching group and our sports science guys will have to manage.

"We'll basically leave it up to them and just get our bodies right and roll up and play the game time they designate for us."

Burgoyne's ability to play any position made him a crucial weapon in Clarkson's arsenal last season.

As well as being reliable in defence, he turned several games with short, devastating bursts in the midfield and could also kick a crucial goal when required.

Once fully fit, the former Port Adelaide premiership star expects to resume the same role in 2013.

"I think the great thing about our team over the last couple of years is we've had players who can play a number of positions and change their role within a game," he said.

"Having that flexibility within the team is something that 'Clarko' likes, and I enjoy changing my role up during a game; it's something I look forward to, and so do some of the other guys."

And Burgoyne dismissed any notion that this, his 12th AFL season, may be his last.

"I've only just recently turned 30, so I think I've got another two or three years left in me," he said.

"Hopefully I'm still a valuable member of the team and can keep contributing for another couple of seasons."