Hawthorn will be without Josh Gibson when the side faces Adelaide on Thursday night.

According the Elite Performance Manager Andrew Russell, the veteran defender suffered an adductor strain in the Hawks' Round 12 loss to Gold Coast, and is set for a stint on the sidelines.

"He's setting down well, but he's probably going to miss two to four weeks at this stage," said Russell.

While one premiership defender goes out, another is set to come back in, with Grant Birchall having fully recovered from his knee injury sustained in Round 7.

"Birch has trained really well in the last two weeks," says Russell.

"He's available and hopefully he gets selected to play this week."

See the above video for a complete run down on Hawthorn's injury list, including an update on midfielder Jaeger O'Meara.

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