Hawthorn have replaced injured star small forward Nick Watson with a debutant who was once a member of the Melbourne Storm’s academy.
The Hawks confirmed on Tuesday that Watson would miss Saturday afternoon’s game against Melbourne with what they described as a tight hamstring.
Watson was slated to miss only one game as a precaution.
The debutant, Matt Hill, booted three goals for Box Hill on the weekend and is a quick, yet physical, Indigenous small forward.
Originally from Katherine, Hill was recruited by the Hawks as a Category B rookie and was part of the Storm’s First Nations pathway program.
Now 22, he played rugby league for five years and was at one stage also in the Brisbane Broncos’ academy. He spent 2025 in the VFL with Box Hill.
Hill is from the Nyoongar, Ballardong, Wardandi, Gajerrong and Bunuba people.
Watson has been the competition’s most electrifying small forward this year (Kysaiah Pickett spending much of his time in the centre square), booting 39 goals from 15 games and is on track for All-Australian selection for the first time.
The Hawks are a chance to this week regain Watson’s forward line partner, the evergreen Jack Gunston, who is seventh on the Coleman Medal race (behind Watson in a tie for second), if he makes it through main training on Thursday.
Finn Maginness is also facing a fitness test on his back, while Jack Scrimshaw (knee) and Conor Nash (neck) will not play. The important Jarman Impey (hamstring) is potentially only a week or two from a return.
The Melbourne clash shapes as significant for both the Hawks and Demons, with the Hawks third on the ladder and the resurgent Demons seventh.
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Jake Niall is a Walkley award-winning sports journalist and chief AFL writer for The Age.Connect via X or email.
