Hawthorn has made four changes ahead of its clash with the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon at Adelaide Oval.

Finn Maginness is the big story, with the father/son recruit set to make his debut in the brown and gold - the third generation of the Maginness family to do so.

GM-Football Graham Wright says he excited to see Maginness embrace his opportunity.

"It always gives the team a great boost of energy when we have a debutant run out, and tomorrow's game will be particular special for the Maginness family.

"Finn has shown solid growth over the last 12 months, and this exposure to AFL level in his first season will be a fantastic development opportunity.

"We're looking forward to seeing him go out there and play his role."

Learn more about our debutant

On the opposite side of the experience spectrum, Maginness will be joined in the side by Shaun Burgoyne - who this morning announced he'd signed a new deal with the Hawks, ruckman Ben McEvoy, and Vice Captain Jaeger O’Meara who has recovered from the hand surgery that held him out for the past four games.

James Worpel will be out for the remainder of the season after injuring his AC joint in last week's loss, while Dan Howe, Josh Morris and Changkuoth Jiath have been omitted.

Hawthorn will use Sunday's match as an opportunity to thank Victoria's Emergency Services and frontline workers, as the club celebrates its second inaugural Emergency Services Match.

ROUND 17 TEAM
Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs
Sunday 13 September, 3.35pm AEST
Adelaide Oval


B: Blake Hardwick, Will Day, Tom Scully
HF: James Frawley, Sam Frost, Chad Wingard
C: Damon Greaves, Jaeger O'Meara, Jack Scrimshaw
HF: Luke Breust, Mitch Lewis, Harry Morrison
F: James Cousins, Tim O'Brien, Jack Gunston
Foll: Jonathon Ceglar, Liam Shiels, Tom Mitchell
I/C: Ben McEvoy, Dylan Moore, Shaun Burgoyne, Finn Maginness

Emer: Changkuoth Jiath, Dan Howe, Oliver Hanrahan, Paul Puopolo

IN: O’Meara, McEvoy, Burgoyne, Maginness (debut)
OUT: Worpel (AC joint), Morris (omitted), Howe (omitted), Jiath (omitted)

The Western Bulldogs can keep dreaming of that one day in October, because the finals are just one win away now.

The Bulldogs steamrolled Hawthorn to the tune of 36 points to jump up to seventh spot on the ladder.

However, the win was soured after utility Toby McLean was taken from the field with what appeared to be a serious knee injury within the first few minutes of the game. 

The Dogs put their foot to the floor not long after McLean's injury, kicking six unanswered goals in the first half on the way to the 11.10 (76) to 6.4 (40) victory.

Skipper Marcus Bontempelli (28 disposals and 11 clearances) led from the front in the midfield, while Caleb Daniel (28 disposals and 546 metres gained) again pushed his case for a spot in the All-Australian squad.

Tim English snagged two goals and had a massive impact on the clearance differential, despite the Dogs getting smashed in the hitout count. 

Hawthorn clawed back to win the third quarter, but the positives were few and far between outside of that.

The Bulldogs now control their own destiny with a win against Fremantle in round 18 locking up a finals spot regardless of other results.

If the Dogs stumble next week, they'll need the Giants and Demons to lose as well to stay in the top eight.

The Hawks will finish their season with a clash against Gold Coast and get another look at their youth.

JJ lights it up in new role
Laitham Vandermeer might not be a household name, but the young speedster has already become pivotal to how the Bulldogs play, however, with Vandermeer (hamstring) unavailable for the next month, coach Luke Beveridge turned to Jason Johannisen to fill the forward/wing dual role. Johannisen kicked two goals on the run in the first quarter to ignite the spirit of his teammates and looked to be back to his lively best.

Doc's ready to see you now
After countless setbacks with a quad injury throughout the year, it was a welcome return to senior footy for Western Bulldogs defender Taylor Duryea. It was perhaps ironic that he and fellow former Hawk Matt Suckling were picked to take on their old side, but don't think it was just a nice gesture at the selection table. Both players are coming out of contract at the end of 2020 and haven't completely nailed down a spot in the best 22 when fully healthy. Duryea's return (14 disposals) allowed Ed Richards and Johannisen to be freed up, while Suckling (eight disposals) struggled to make an impact.

Father-son impresses in first match
Hawthorn fans have been waiting to see Finn Maginness all year, and their patience was rewarded. The midfielder showed fight around the contest and, despite a modest 10 disposals, he was still a bright spot for the Hawks. The first-year player got some valuable experience lining up against Bailey Smith and Tom Liberatore around the coal face and will be better for the run. Maginness' father Scott played 131 games for the Hawks and was part of the 1988 and 1989 premiership-winning sides.

HAWTHORN                                  1.1       1.2       5.3     6.4 (40)
WESTERN BULLDOGS                    4.1       7.6       9.7       11.10 (76)

GOALS
Hawthorn: Gunston 3, Breust, O'Brien, Wingard
Western Bulldogs:  English 2, Johannisen 2, Naughton 2, Wallis, Daniel, B.Smith, R.Smith, McLean

BEST
Hawthorn: Breust, Shiels, Gunston, Cousins, Greaves, Morrison
Western Bulldogs: Daniel, Bontempelli, Liberatore, English, B.Smith, Macrae

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
Western Bulldogs: McLean (knee)