JARRYD Roughead and Stephen Gilham have taken their next steps towards a return to football, participating in a scratch-match at Hawthorn training on Friday.

The pair is on the comeback trail from serious injuries suffered last season - Roughead a ruptured Achilles and Gilham a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

Hawks football operations manager Mark Evans said it was still too early to declare a return date for either player, but their progress was encouraging.

"They participated in maybe 45 or 50 minutes of semi-competitive training," Evans told hawthornfc.com.au on Friday afternoon.

"So not full-blown competitive conditions, but just as part of their progress towards preparation for playing.

"By the time I'd left the club they seemed to have both come through that OK.

"It's not about rushing either of them.

"It is more part of the long, gradual approach back into footy.

"But we're pleased with how they're both going."

Evans scotched talk of an appearance from either of the duo during the NAB Cup.

"There's a difference between a controlled training session, even if it was like today's session, and the lack of control in a match against opposition," he said.

"So there are still a few boxes to tick."

Evans said it was possible the Hawks could field a younger side in its next NAB Cup match, although a decision on the make-up of the team to face Greater Western Sydney in Launceston was yet to be made.

"There were a couple [of young players] that got a run in the first week of the NAB Cup, so there might be a couple more that we'll feed into the team," Evans said.

"But it will probably be midweek before we decide that."

The Giants clash is on Saturday, March 3 at Aurora Stadium.

Mark Macgugan covers Hawks news for hawthornfc.com.au and afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_MarkM

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