HAWTHORN may enter a finals series without Lance Franklin after he collected Swans midfielder Nick Malceski with a high bump to the head in the Hawks two-goal win over Sydney on Friday night.
Franklin is expected to cop a two game suspension by the match review panel and with no carry over points hanging over his head, he may have that penalty reduced to one week with an early guilty plea.
It would mean that Franklin would miss next week’s qualifying final at the MCG against Sydney; most likely to be played next Friday night. But he would be available in the Hawks’ next finals match.
Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson remained rather calm about the topic in the after match press conference, perhaps knowing that the Hawks have got the job done this season with or without their marquee forward.
“I didn’t think it was a very malicious act,” Clarkson said.
“Malceski continued to play.
“We will see how it pans out.
“We’ve just got to let the authorities deal with that and see what happens,” Clarkson said.
“Those sorts of things happen in games of footy, and we will just see what the Match Review Panel deem it to be.
“We’ve won games of footy without him.”
Hawks forward Jarryd Roughead, who all but wrapped up the Coleman Medal with another four goals, echoed Clarkson’s comments and said the Hawks are confident in next week’s clash against the Swans, even facing the prospect without Franklin.
“We’ve played games without him this year and done pretty well,” Roughead said.
“We will wait and see what happens.
“I’m pretty sure it will be a massive thing this week.”
There will be several changes from last night’s result which will make it a completely different game next week.
Hawthorn will likely recall Cyril Rioli, Liam Shiels, Max Bailey and Brent Guerra, who had been rested from injuries, while Sydney will welcome back Kurt Tippett and may surprise with Lewis Jetta and Lewis Roberts-Thompson, although both are likely to need to come through reserves matches unscathed.
Here is the video of the incident:
