HAWTHORN'S youngsters look set for a good run in the NAB Cup, with Alastair Clarkson ruling out up to six premiership players more than a fortnight before the club's opening match against Melbourne.

Injuries to several experienced Hawks, including key back man Trent Croad, and a late start to the pre-season may have forced Clarkson's hand in his approach to the NAB Cup to a degree, but the coach doesn't necessarily see that as a bad thing.

"It's not too bad for some of the more senior players not to play too much of the NAB Cup and then get themselves going for the main home-and-away part of the season," Clarkson said following the club's season launch breakfast in Hobart on Thursday.

"But it's too hard to tell [how many premiership players will take part in round one]. We haven't even sat down and assessed who we'll give opportunities to and who we'll rest, but I'll imagine there will be Croad and maybe four of five others who will be unavailable through injury and then we need to make a decision on when we actually start their campaigns.

"Some blokes may rest for the first couple of rounds of the NAB Cup and then get going in round three and other guys might get going for the first couple and then get a rest in the third round depending on whether we're still in it or in the NAB Challenge.

"We'll make that assessment over the next week or 10 days."

Clarkson admitted the foot injury to Croad was the most concerning entry on the club's injury list that also contains a string of shoulder injuries to players of the calibre of Lance Franklin, Luke Hodge, Jordan Lewis and Tom Murphy.

But despite the number of players on the way back from injury or surgery there is light at the end of the tunnel.

"Croady's the one that may be in some doubt for the first rounds of the [Toyota AFL premiership] season, but all the other guys should be around the mark," Clarkson said.

"We've had a couple of guys with shoulder surgeries later in November/December so they're going to have interrupted campaigns in terms of their NAB Cup, but because they're shoulder injuries they're still able to get themselves really fit which is fortunate."

Grand final hero Xavier Ellis has also been on a modified program since undergoing a hip operation and is unlikely to see any NAB Cup action.

The Hawks kick off their NAB Cup campaign against the Demons at Aurora Stadium on Saturday February 21.