REIGNING Peter Crimmins Medallist Sam Mitchell will play against Essendon on Friday night.
The Hawks star was a late withdrawal from Saturday’s win over Western Bulldogs after becoming ill in Tasmania on Friday night.
Mitchell flew home on Saturday but was back at the Club on Monday ready to prepare for the blockbuster top-of-the-table clash at Etihad Stadium.
Head of Coaching and Development, Chris Fagan confirmed Mitchell’s return on Tuesday.
“He’ll recover from that (illness) and play on Friday night, he was much better yesterday (Monday),” he told hawthornfc.com.au
Midfielder Liam Shiels, however, is still two weeks away from returning from the ankle injury sustained against Brisbane.
Shiels hasn’t played since Round 14, but is edging closer to a return after increasing his training with running duties over the last two weeks.
“He’s back into his running program. He’s progressing well, but is probably two weeks away from playing,” Fagan said.
The news is the same for running defender Grant Birchall, who has missed a month with a knee injury.
Birchall injured his posterior cruciate ligament against West Coast in Round 13, but too isn’t far away from returning.
The Hawks defender has increased his training load in recent weeks and completed running training while in Tasmania with the team over the weekend.
Fagan says he’s at least two weeks away from a return.
“He’s going very well, he’s had probably four or five really strong running sessions now, which is a great sign,” he said.
“Each time, he has improved too and been able to butter up again two days later and that’s really important at this stage.
“He’s a bit like Shiels, we think he might be around the mark in the couple of weeks’ time.”
Star forward Lance Franklin could also return against the Bombers to bolster an already strong Hawthorn side that has lost just two matches this season.
