On Saturday, Hawthorn will be missing arguably its best player from the last time it faced North.

James Sicily kicked five goals back in Round 13, but will be unavailable for Round 21 after receiving a one-match suspension for striking Melbourne’s Bernie Vince.

In the absence of the 21-year-old, more responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Jack Gunston, Cyril Rioli and Luke Breust.

The trio leads Hawthorn’s goal kicking for the season; in Round 6 it was Robbie Tarrant with an excellent game on Gunston to keep him goalless, while Rioli and Breust had three goals between them.

Paul Puopolo kicked the sealer on the night and is a chance to return to the side this week after missing the last two matches with a hip injury.

At the other end of the ground, the Hawks will be missing Ben Stratton after the defender tore his pectoral muscle in the loss to the Demons.

Back in Round 13, Stratton spent every second of the game on the ground, demonstrating his importance to the reigning three-time premiers.

However, James Frawley could come back into the side to offset Stratton’s absence. Frawley was a late withdrawal due to a shoulder complaint last week, but is in the frame for an immediate return.

Frawley will most likely have to pass a fitness test to take his place in the line-up, much like midfielder Liam Shiels, another putting his hand up for a return.

Shiels has missed the last four games for the Hawks, with his last AFL match coming in Round 16 against Port Adelaide.

In previous matches against the Roos, the 25-year-old has often had a defensive role in the midfield without being an out-and-out tagger, which changes up the Hawks’ mix.

Elsewhere in the midfield, Jordan Lewis and Sam Mitchell have continued on with their consistent, ball-winning ways.

Only once in the last 10 weeks has either veteran dipped below 24 disposals in a game, with both contributing all over the field.

The Hawks’ lead on top of the ladder was cut to just one game with their loss to Melbourne, and their inferior percentage in relation to other top-four hopefuls means another defeat on Saturday will likely see them relinquish top spot.

In North’s first MCG game of 2016, the stakes will be high.