Hawks duo join AFLX dodgers

ISAAC Smith and Luke Breust have chosen a four-day training break over the league’s much-hyped AFLX tournament after pulling out of Friday’s contest.

Both of the AFL stars are fit but will instead take part in an Ikon Park practice match tomorrow before taking the weekend off.

The decision is a slap in the face for the high-profile tournament, which has been promoted as 50 of the league’s best players being pitted against each other.

They join Robbie Gray, Chad Wingard, Steven May and Joel Hamling as withdrawals, though that quartet all pulled out through injury.

It comes as the league advertises cut-price $10 tickets and also offers AFL members and juniors free tickets to the event.

Smith and Breust made the decision themselves without any pressure from Hawthorn, having informed the league last week.

The Hawks have an AFLmandated four-day break from Friday to Monday, and in coming weeks play two JLT games against Brisbane and Richmond with only a six-day break in between.

The Hawks travel in both of those games — to Moreton Bay and Tasmania — so their players will have few chances to get a break before the season proper.

Hawthorn’s view is that the players were less likely to be injured in AFLX than a game against Carlton so were happy for them to play in the Friday exhibition tournament.

But instead they will get valuable match practice tomorrow, with Breust keen to get back to his home town of Temora over the Hawks’ long weekend.