O’Meara tipped to return for Cats clash
HAWTHORN defender James Frawley will miss at least the next three weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in the loss to St Kilda, however Jaeger O’Meara and Ben Stratton are both expected to face Geelong on Easter Monday.
O’Meara, who yesterday signed a four-year contract extension at the Hawks, was a late withdrawal from the St Kilda clash with a corked hip, but the extended gap between games should see him right to face the Cats on Monday.
“We hope so; he’ll be a test later in the week,” Hawks football boss Graham Wright told SEN.
“He certainly was touch and go on the weekend and we gave him right up until the last day to have a look at it but we didn’t feel as though he was going to be able to get through a full game and be OK.
“The decision was made to rest him or give him that week off and see if we can get him up for the Geelong game.”
While Frawley is tipped to miss 3-4 weeks with a hamstring strain, captain Stratton will have to pass a concussion test. Shaun Burgoyne (hamstring) and Liam Shiels (hamstring) will miss at least another week.
Meanwhile, having O’Meara sign again could help the Hawks secure another key AFL trade target. The former Gold Coast midfielder has become the leader of Hawthorn’s engine room in the absence of injured Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell.
While he missed last week, O’Meara was comfortably among the Hawks’ best in each of their first three games. The 25-year-old’s decision to sign a long-term extension will bolster the Hawks’ hopes of luring GWS star Stephen Coniglio, a close friend of O’Meara.