JLT Series Preview

Published on 05 March 2019

Hawthorn coach Alistair Clarkson has indicated he will field a near full-strength team for the JLT match against Richmond at University of Tasmania Stadium on Saturday night.

Hawthorn lost its penultimate JLT Community Series match against Brisbane by seven goals at the weekend, with the Hawks fielding a relatively young, inexperienced outfit.

However, Clarkson hinted after the match that he would play close to a full-strength team against the Tigers.

"A great percentage of those more experienced players will play in that Richmond game next Saturday night," Clarkson told afl.com.au after the match.

Hawthorn is set to include recruit Chad Wingard, who had suffered a calf injury during pre-season training, while new skipper Ben Stratton, Shaun Burgoyne, Jarryd Roughead, Liam Shiels, Isaac Smith, Ben McEvoy, Luke Breust and Jaeger O’Meara could all return. Jack Gunston could also be a chance to play after recovering from knee soreness.

Meanwhile, Richmond is coming off a solid 12-point win over Melbourne in Shepparton on Sunday.

The Tigers will train at UTAS Stadium at 3pm on Friday.

Hawthorn will take to the ground for a light training run from 4pm.

The Saturday night match will kick off at 7.10pm, with gates opening at 5.30pm.

Entry is free for AFL club members, and all terrace seating is available free through general admission.

Stadium manager Robert Groenewegen said as of Tuesday morning, almost 5000 tickets had already been pre-sold.

"Given that AFL members get in for free, to have almost 5000 tickets sold already is very encouraging," he said.

Richmond merchandise will be available at Gate 7, with Hawthorn's merchandise stand located at Gate 3.

Tickets for the match are available via the Ticketmaster website.