Former Magpie Damon Greaves earns Hawthorn promotion while Connor Blakely makes substitute appearance

Former Busselton Magpie Damon Greaves returned to the Hawthorn line-up for the first time this season in the team’s 23-point loss to Carlton on Saturday. Greaves had started the year playing for the Box Hill Hawks, despite impressing in his three games at senior level last year. He was an unused injury substitute in the Hawks’ round seven game against St Kilda, but started in the back six at the weekend. The 21-year-old defender finished with 11 disposals, including seven kicks and an impressive 335 metres gained. Greaves also faced the unenviable task of playing on mercurial Blues forward Eddie Betts at times, who finished with 2.1. A suspension to fellow defender Kyle Hartigan means Greaves is a strong chance to be retained in the side for his fifth AFL game, against Gold Coast on Saturday night. For Fremantle, Tobe Watson had a difficult night down back while Connor Blakely was brought on midway through the third quarter as a medical replacement for Matt Taberner. After a few good weeks in which he cemented his spot in the Dockers’ back line, Watson turned the ball over several times during a difficult first quarter. Watson finished with 11 disposals and two marks but disposed of the ball at a low 64 per cent. Despite having eight disposals from just 31 minutes time on ground, Blakely struggled to have any real impact, kicking the ball just three times. Blakely now leads the league for time on ground as an injury substitute, surpassing Port Adelaide’s Willem Drew while Fremantle is the club hardest hit by in-game injuries, using the substitute a league-high eight times.