HAWTHORN forward Jack Gunston is expected to be available for selection for his team’s blockbuster against Carlton in two weeks.

Gunston missed Sunday’s win over Melbourne with a calf injury sustained in the Round 9 win over Gold Coast at the MCG.

With the Hawks enjoying a rest through its scheduled bye this weekend, the Hawthorn forward will complete a running program in order to prove his fitness for the Friday night match against the Blues in Round 12.

Head of Coaching and Development, Chris Fagan revealed Gunston’s calf injury is only minor, and is expected to return and strengthen the Hawthorn forward line against Carlton.

“He had a slight calf injury from the Gold Coast game, it’s not serious but enough to keep him out for a week,” Fagan said.

“He’ll be doing a running program this week and we expect, given everything goes smoothly, he’ll be available for the Carlton game.”

The Hawks are perfectly placed as it enters the bye this weekend, sitting pretty atop the AFL ladder with nine wins and one loss.

Hawthorn hasn’t lost a game since Round 1 when it was defeated by Geelong.

Off-field, the Hawks are also in a good position on the injury front.

While Ryan Schoenmakers, Matt Suckling and Alex Woodward won’t return this season after each rupturing their anterior cruciate ligaments, the Hawks have little to worry about on the injury front.

Brendan Whitecross is ready to return from his knee reconstruction after the bye at Box Hill, while Cyril Rioli remains on track for a return despite being unlikely to return against the Blues.

Xavier Ellis has played two games at Box Hill and is building towards pressing for senior selection.

Fagan says the Club is happy with the state of the list heading into the Round 11 bye and are looking forward to a strong second half of the year.

“We’re pretty happy with the health of our list, we’ve got the boys with the long-term knees but other than that we’re looking pretty healthy at the moment. Fingers crossed it stays that way,” he said.