LUKE Hodge feels he's ready to return to the Hawthorn team to face Essendon on Friday night, his teammate Sam Mitchell says.

The Hawthorn captain made it through his first game in 12 weeks with Box Hill in the VFL on Saturday.

He played just over three quarters of the match, finishing with 11 kicks, 13 handballs and a goal.

Now, Mitchell says, Hodge is mounting his case to make just his third senior appearance of the year.

"He's certainly a chance," Mitchell said on Monday.

"He's put his hand up to see if they can find a role for him that he's able to play.

"He's pulled up pretty well and he was pretty vibrant this morning.

"But it's just a management issue.

"It's a big game on Friday night, at Etihad Stadium, a hard ground, so it's whether that's the best preparation for him, or whether it's better to have another week at Box Hill."

Mitchell said spearhead Lance Franklin, who has missed the past two games with a hamstring complaint, completed a running session on Monday but wouldn't be risked if he wasn't fully fit.

"Some of the guys had a light run around and he stayed on the track for a fair bit longer doing a bit more work, but I think they'll probably err on the side of caution," Mitchell said.