HAWTHORN star Cyril Rioli will not line up against Carlton at Etihad Stadium on Friday night as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.

The dynamic small forward suffered a high-grade hamstring tear against North Melbourne in round five, and was ruled out until after the Hawks' bye.

Defender Josh Gibson said Rioli was progressing well in his recovery, but the club would take a cautious approach to his comeback.

"He's looking good – he ran this morning – but he won't play this week," Gibson said on Tuesday.

"We just want to make sure he's cherry ripe.

"Obviously he's had a history of hamstring [injuries] over time, so I think he'll be back in the next couple of weeks."

In positive news, midfielder Brendan Whitecross is set to make his return from a knee reconstruction when he runs out for the Hawks' VFL affiliate Box Hill this weekend.

Whitecross ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Collingwood in last year's qualifying final, requiring a reconstruction.

After a strong recovery, he is ready to take his first steps back towards a senior call-up.

"It's really pleasing that 'Whitey' is back," Gibson said.

"He has been chomping at the bit.

"If you asked him, he'd have probably told you he could have played six weeks ago, but the medicos have just had to pull him back a bit.

"It's really good to have him back out there on the training track, because he's got a presence and brings that little bit of extra motivation to the group."

The 9-1 Hawks have a strong record against the Blues, having beaten them in the clubs' past nine meetings, by an average margin of 41 points.

They'll have the added advantage of intelligence from former Carlton coach Brett Ratten, who joined Hawthorn as an assistant coach after leaving Visy Park last year.

"You'd be crazy not to hit him up if you wanted to know about a player, especially if you're a defender and you want to find out about a forward," Gibson said.

"But in terms of their gamestyle and structure, it's probably a bit different to when 'Ratts' was coaching them."