Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has cleared the air on the surprise substitution of Jai Newcombe during Thursday night’s win over Carlton, confirming the star midfielder made it through the contest unscathed.
Newcombe was subbed out early in the third quarter with the contest still somewhat in the balance, raising concerns that the 23-year-old might’ve aggravated an injury.
But Mitchell has calmed any fears, confirming the decision to sub him was purely precautionary.
“We’ve got to travel, we go over to Adelaide on Friday night next week [which is] obviously going to be a massive game for us,” Mitchell forecasted post-game.
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“That’s a game we want our best players fresh and ready.
“The chance to take Jai out and get a bit of game time into some others and get him a bit of a freshener, we thought that was a win.
“He could’ve kept playing.”
Spending just 48 per cent of the game on the ground, Newcombe was low-key in the Hawks’ win over Carlton, finishing with eight disposals and three tackles.
But as an integral part of Hawthorn’s premiership push, he will need to be operating at full capacity if the Hawks are to beat the Crows next week, in a game that could significantly shake the top eight heading into September.