Hawthorn has trimmed its 25-man squad down to the team of 22 set to face the Demons.

Grant Birchall and Cyril Rioli are Hawthorn’s two big-name inclusions, while Brendan Whitecross, Will Langford and Kaiden Brand will miss the Round 7 clash.

GM- Football Operations Jason Burt says the playing group will be buoyed by the premiership duo’s inclusion.

“It’s great to have Cyril and Birch both fit and available this week,” said Burt.

“Both guys play important roles in our side and provide much needed run.

“They also bring a wealth of on-field leadership, which will hopefully boost our performance at both ends of the ground.”

After consistent performances over the past four rounds, Burt says young defender Kaiden Brand is unfortunate to miss out on selection.

“Kaiden is a young fella who hasn’t really put a foot wrong,” says Burt.

“He is a bit unlucky to miss out, but the decision was made based on match ups and finding the right team balance.”

“We’re confident he’ll continue to work hard, and it won’t be long before we see him back at AFL level.”

Read: Match preview Round 7

ROUND 7 TEAM
Melbourne v Hawthorn
MCG
Sunday 7 May, 3.20pm
B: Grant Birchall, James Frawley, Ben Stratton
HB: Ryan Burton, Josh Gibson, Shaun Burgoyne
C: Isaac Smith, Tom Mitchell, Jaeger O’Meara
HF: Luke Breust, Tim O’Brien, Jack Gunston
F: Paul Puopolo, Jarryd Roughead, Cyril Rioli
R: Ben McEvoy, Liam Shiels, Luke Hodge
INT: James Sicily, Billy Hartung, Daniel Howe, Blake Hardwick
Emer: Will Langford, Kaiden Brand, Brendan Whitecross


IN: Rioli, Birchall
OUT: Brand (omitted), Langford (omitted)