HAWTHORN could regain as many as five players for Sunday's clash with Melbourne at the MCG.
Coming off a bye last round the injury-hit Hawks have several stars ready to return, including important midfield duo Brad Sewell and Chance Bateman, and dangerous small forward Cyril Rioli.
Premiership onballer Jordan Lewis will also be available to face the Demons after serving his two-match suspension for headbutting Essendon's Angus Monfries, and young key position player Jordan Lisle could make his comeback from a facial fracture.
Hawthorn football operations general manager Mark Evans said the club had chosen to delay Rioli's return from a minor hamstring strain - his second of the season - due to the timing of its bye.
"Cyril's was minor to begin with," Evans told hawthornfc.com.au on Tuesday.
"He was running at 80 per cent within two or three days of the match.
"So we took him into more of a training block, and because we had the bye we decided not to bring him back for the game against Brisbane.
"So he'll be available this week."
Evans said Sewell had recovered from the medial ligament strain he suffered against the Bombers in round 14 and Bateman from the ankle strain he picked up in the following week's Collingwood clash, meaning both would be available for selection.
Lisle, who had facial surgery to repair a depressed fracture of the cheekbone after receiving a head knock from Leon Davis during the loss to the Magpies, could also take the field on Sunday.
"If Lisle continues to go well across the rest of this week he could play either this weekend or next weekend," Evans said.
Fellow key position player Ryan Schoenmakers is a chance to return from the foot injury that's kept him sidelined since round 12, although Evans said the 20-year-old was likely to be eased back via the VFL.
"We're more likely to progress him up slower rather than quicker, just to make sure that he's getting the right amount of conditioning," Evans said.
"You don't want him going into a game and having a soft tissue injury, so we'll just grade him up carefully.
"It's dependent on where he gets to by the end of this week."
Veteran Cameron Bruce, who had been out since round five with a knee injury, is available but also likely to resume in the VFL.
Midfielder Lewis should be ready to go after playing for Box Hill on the weekend.
"Because Lewis missed two weeks, and because we had a bye that was going to be three weeks, we thought we may as well take the opportunity for him to keep his touch," Evans said.
"It was just to make sure he had some football under his belt."
And ruckman Brent Renouf is due to see a specialist in the next week to discuss the next steps in his recovery from surgery to remove his gall bladder.
The 23-year-old was seriously hurt when he received an accidental knee to the midriff from Geelong's James Podsiadly in round 12.
Evans said Renouf's return to playing was still expected to be "slow rather than quick", but has not yet written off the premiership big man's chances of taking further part in this season.
"It's hard to tell," he said.
"We'll have a better gauge once he's back into some regular training.
"He's just walking, cycling and swimming at this stage, so he's still got a few boxes to tick."
Injury list
Chance Bateman (ankle) test
Stephen Gilham (knee) indefinite
Jordan Lisle (fractured cheekbone) test
Angus Litherland (foot) indefinite
Brent Renouf (gall bladder) TBC
Jarryd Roughead (Achilles) indefinite
Ryan Schoenmakers (foot) test
Ben Stratton (knee) indefinite
Mark Macgugan writes for hawthornfc.com.au and covers Hawks news for afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @mmacgugan
