HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson is confident his side can cover the loss of skipper Sam Mitchell when the Hawks take on Geelong in the game of the round on Saturday.

Mitchell will miss with a broken bone in his hand, while the Cats have been significantly bolstered by the returns of Brad Ottens, Cameron Ling and Harry Taylor.

Hawthorn will take the momentum and confidence of a seven-game winning streak into the encounter and Clarkson backed his midfield group to fill the void left by their skipper.

"Someone needs to lift and fill his shoes because he was tremendous for us last week and the week before against the Bombers as well," Clarkson said.

"They're significant ins for the Cats, but we just back our structures. We've had really good contests against Geelong for four or five years now and I don't expect it’s going to be any different tomorrow when we run out against them.

"We've started to stabilise our side a little bit, we've got a good group of players available to us this week, and we're going to see how we go against the premier side in the competition.

"They're the benchmark and that's what we're trying to aspire to."     

Mitchell is set to miss just one game after having a pin surgically inserted into his hand in a bid to speed the recovery process.

The Hawks have two significant inclusions of their own, with Josh Gibson and Campbell Brown coming into the side to add steel to the back line.

Despite Gibson's extended absence with a severe hamstring injury, Clarkson doesn't believe the former Kangaroo will need to be nursed through the game after spending two weeks in the VFL.

Gibson makes his return to the AFL in the same round as St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt after the pair underwent the same hamstring tendon procedure following their respective injuries sustained in round three.

Medical staff from each club compared notes early in the rehabilitation process for both players but soon went their own ways, with the Saints ultimately choosing to bring Riewoldt straight back into the senior side.
 
"Which is the right way? Who knows, but we're happy with the way our program's gone," Clarkson mused.

"Hopefully for Nick, the St Kilda Football Club and footy in general, the rehab that he's done means that he can get back to playing his best footy as well."

Ruckman Simon Taylor will clear a significant hurdle in his return from a broken leg when he runs out for Box Hill in the VFL this weekend and Clarkson remains confident he can play a meaningful role for the side in the run to the finals despite the length of his absence.