Cyril Rioli's near three-month absence from playing is set to end this weekend - but unfortunately for Hawks fans it won't be against Port Adelaide. If Hawthorn beats Port, Rioli will line up for Box Hill in the VFL, in preparation for a dramatic return for next weekend's grand final.

Rioli, who last played on June 28 when he suffered a hamstring injury, will be withdrawn from Box Hill's team to play Footscray, with the club not wanting to risk a recurrence of the injury.

The decision to select Rioli in the VFL, rather than the AFL, was jointly made by the club and the player. It seemed a reasonable outcome given a training performance on Thursday in which Rioli did enough to encourage the view that he had fully overcome his hamstring injury but not enough to entrench it.

"He certainly would feel more comfortable playing in the AFL team - if we were able to get through to a grand final - if he had a hit-out first and got some real confidence in his hamstring," Hawthorn general manager of football operations Chris Fagan told the club's website.

"Hopefully he plays really well [in the VFL]. Our plan is that he won't play a full game, probably about 60 to 70 minutes across the four quarters," he said.

"But should he be able to get through that and feel confident, and we do get through to the grand final, then Cyril will be in a great position next week to be selected."

The Hawks' eagerness to bring back creative defender Matt Suckling from the knee injury that sidelined him from their past two matches was reflected in their decision to axe veteran midfielder Brad Sewell to achieve that, in essence opting for youth and speed over battle-hardened finals experience.

Sewell, 30, had played in every final - 16 - Hawthorn has made in his 11 years at the club.

However the 2007 club champion has lost his status as a guaranteed first-choice player over the past season and a half, although he played his role as a small forward in the qualifying final win over Geelong two weeks ago with 14 disposals, six tackles, and two goal assists.

Jonathan Simpkin and Taylor Duryea had been speculated as possible casualties if the Hawks recalled either or both of Suckling and Rioli.

Rioli's progress recuperating from his latest hamstring injury has meant he no longer needs to train alone, with a handbrake applied. On Thursday he trained for about 45 minutes in the middle at the Hawks' Waverley headquarters with the rest of his teammates.

After a predictably gentle start to the session, the first significant insight into his fitness level came with a few lengthy runs along the boundary line that, to the untrained eye, seemed to be at about 70 per cent or 80 per cent intensity.

Rioli was the centre of attention for the two short periods of match-practice in the session. He lined up on a wing but was sparingly used by his teammates. Of the few possessions he gathered he favoured short chip kicks to teammates, leaving unanswered the question of how capable he was to kick to his full distance.

The closest Rioli came to dispelling any lingering doubts about his fitness came during the match practice when he sprinted to block a faux opponent's handball. It was only sustained for a few steps, but given he has not played at any level since such a long period it was enough for a Hawthorn supporter, or even coach or official, to savour - despite him being among the first to leave the ground and head back inside.

Creative defender Suckling also completed the session, albeit as the last to join it about 20 minutes after most of his teammate. Even thought Suckling did not produce any of the raking kicks for which he is renowned the fact he had only missed two matches arguably meant that was not essential to his recall.