Hawthorn has named Coleman Medallist Lance Franklin at centre half-forward to take on Geelong
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SHANE Crawford has moved on but Hawthorn has already moved towards identifying its next generation, naming three debutants to take on Geelong in Friday night's grand final replay at the MCG.
The Hawks will have six different players in their line-up to the one that stunned the Cats in September.
And as Hawthorn unfurls its premiership flag before the round-one blockbuster, new football journeys will also unfold – something football manager Mark Evans said was a huge positive for the club.
"The most exciting thing is we’ve got three debutants," Evans told hawthornfc.com.au.
After impressive summers, first-round draft pick Ryan Schoenmakers, third-year rookie Matthew Suckling and second-year defender Brendan Whitecross will all take on Geelong.
Evans said Schoenmakers, Suckling and Whitecross were ready for one of football’s biggest challenges.
"They’ve earned their spot," he said.
"It’s just right that they get picked and they all come into the team in good form, off good pre-seasons.
"So it’s fantastic to see young players push into what was already a pretty strong side."
The trio adds versatility and run to a Hawthorn team certain to grow in strength in coming weeks.
Evans said the Hawks had been boosted by quicker-than-expected returns of some of their premiership players.
Trent Croad, Xavier Ellis, Rick Ladson and Jordan Lewis couldn’t be considered this week but defenders Grant Birchall and Campbell Brown had been passed fit.
Backman Stephen Gilham was also on track to take his place after injuring his knee in the NAB Cup quarter-final against Carlton.
"[Gilham] has surprised us with his recovery from that hyper-extension of his knee," Evans said.
"He’s trained pretty well today (Thursday). Assuming that he pulls up well tomorrow morning he will play."
Another hotly-contested battle within the Hawthorn side is for the ruck posts.
However, that selection became an easier task for coach Alastair Clarkson and his selection committee this week.
"Robbie Campbell hasn’t been named. He stirred up some scar tissue at the top of his glutes and hamstring area," Evans said.
"He looked okay for most of the week but we thought we wouldn’t risk it … he should be back next week."
Evans said several sidelined Hawks, including the tenacious Lewis, were likely to return to VFL action within the next fortnight.
"We’ve probably still got three or four players who are a week or two away, so we’ve still got a bit to add to the team," he said.
Hawthorn
B: Brown, Gilham, Guerra
HB: Hodge, Murphy, Birchall
C: Young, Mitchell, Whitecross
HF: Osborne, Franklin, Dew
F: Williams, Roughead, Rioli
Foll: Taylor, Sewell, Bateman
I/C: Renouf, Schoenmakers, Suckling, Tuck
EMG: Kennedy, Stokes, Thorp
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