Hawthorn might be preparing to unveil its second debutant of the season as it looks to fill the gap left by the injured Mabior Chol when the team hosts Port Adelaide at Marvel Stadium. Aidan Schubert and William McCabe are both in line for their AFL debuts after showing strong performances in the VFL this year, which has placed them ahead of Calsher Dear in the forward positions.
Chol is expected to miss a significant amount of time due to a hamstring injury that occurred during the first quarter of the game. Coach Sam Mitchell expressed cautious optimism about the severity of the injury, stating:
“There’s a small part of me that hopes it was really precautionary and he’s just cramped up or something. But you know when a guy who’s as big and as strong and as powerful as him comes off grabbing his hamstring, then doesn’t come back on, you wait for scans and get a vibe for that over the next few days.”
However, with Chol out of action, opportunities have opened up for Schubert and McCabe. Schubert, who was selected with Pick 23 in the SANFL draft last year, has quickly made an impact in the brown and gold. In his first two games as a Hawthorn player, he recorded 10 and 11 disposals respectively, along with one and two goals. His performance improved significantly in a recent match against Casey Demons, where he managed five goals from 12 possessions and seven marks.
McCabe, another potential debutant, has also been making waves. He was listed as an emergency in consecutive games but hasn’t been called upon yet. The father-son selection was drafted with Pick 19 in 2023, following in his father’s footsteps by wearing the club’s colors.
The focus now turns to Calsher Dear, who has not been selected for the senior side so far in 2026. His season has been affected by a series of injuries during the pre-season, and the return of Mitch Lewis to full fitness has further pushed him down the pecking order. Additionally, the strong form of Jack Gunston and the versatility of Chol have contributed to Dear’s exclusion.
Dear recently spoke about his chances of playing senior football, acknowledging the challenges he faces:
“If you look at how I started my career, I was extremely lucky and had a really good opportunity. There are not many players who get that lucky or have that sort of opportunity. I’m not really stressing about it. I’m just doing my time, I’m still developing, still getting better, but I think it’s a pretty good problem to have. It’s not just me that is fighting for a spot, there’s so many players that play alongside me at Box Hill that are AFL ready and AFL level but we’ve just got such a deep list that you’ve got to wait your turn and make most of the opportunity when it comes.”
In his last appearance on April 5, Dear kicked one goal from 16 possessions and seven marks. His absence from the senior squad has sparked interest, especially with the club’s attention on Gold Coast free agent Ben King.
“I haven’t heard anything from that article from me or my manager… it’s just a story that’s come out in the paper. I’m enjoying it. I’m developing still, I’m only 20. Look at everything the Hawks have done for me: it’s a really special place for me,” he said on Triple M.
