New Hawthorn captain Jarryd Roughead is set to play his first AFL game since being declared cancer-free.
Roughead, whose melanoma battle forced him to miss the entire 2016 season, has been named in the Hawks' 29-man squad to face Geelong in a pre-season clash in Tasmania on Friday night.
Gun recruit Jaeger O'Meara has also been included and could play his first game since late-2014 after a string of injuries.
Four-time premiership winner Roughead had a melanoma removed from his lip in 2015 then suffered a recurrence in 2016, a setback that had serious implications for his life, let alone playing career.
But the 29-year-old was given the all-clear by doctors last month and replaced Luke Hodge as the Hawks' captain in January.
O'Meara looks set to make his Hawks debut after being sidelined for the past two years with persistent knee problems.
The 22-year-old was traded from Gold Coast last October and has enormous potential if he can stay fit.
Former Richmond tall Ty Vickery is also set to play but Tom Mitchell, who joined Hawthorn after playing in Sydney's grand final loss, has been left out.
The Hawks have named a strong squad for their first preseason hitout, with veterans Josh Gibson and Shaun Burgoyne joining Cyril Rioli, Liam Shiels and Isaac Smith.
Geelong skipper Joel Selwood will sit out Thursday's clash but reigning Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield, spearhead Tom Hawkins and veteran swingman Harry Taylor are all set to line up.
The Cats have also named new recruits Zach Tuohy and Aaron Black in their squad, which will be cut down to 26.
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