HAWTHORN will take a cautious approach with skipper Luke Hodge, as he recovers from knee surgery.

Hodge is expected to begin running outdoors this week, but is still three to four weeks away from returning to action.

GM – Football Operations Chris Fagan said the Hawks wanted to make sure their leader was cherry ripe when he put his hand up for selection.

“Hodgey’s going well, he’s been doing a lot of work in the gym,” Fagan said in the Round 9 Bupa Recovery Report.

“This week I think he starts to venture out onto the oval to do some running on the grass, which is good.

“We’re having a cautious approach with him. We want to make sure that he’s in really good shape physically when he comes back to play.

“It’s probably going to be another three or four weeks before we see him.”

In this week’s Bupa Recovery Report, Fagan also speaks about Tim O’Brien – who sustained a knock to the knee in the Hawks’ loss to the Swans – as well as Ryan Schoenmakers, Jonathan O’Rourke and Zac Webster, who all returned from injury for Box Hill Hawks on the weekend.