HAWTHORN forward Lance "Buddy" Franklin went to a specialist this week to seek assurances that he would be fit to play in the Hall of Fame game tomorrow night.

Franklin saw a shoulder specialist on Tuesday, at the urging of the Hawks, to discuss the risks of playing with his shoulder condition.

Franklin and Hawthorn wanted to be sure of the extent of the risks and to minimise the possibility of his aggravating the injury, which is not believed serious.

Hawthorn had left the decision on whether to play in the hands of Franklin, who has indicated that he badly wants to take part. He is expected to play, having attended a news conference with other Dream Team forwards yesterday. It is believed that the specialist opinion was that he should be fine to take his place a powerful forward line that also includes Matthew Pavlich, Matthew Richardson and Cameron Mooney.

Franklin's right shoulder has been strapped in recent weeks, and he appeared to be hurt — briefly — in the matches against Collingwood and Richmond. He flinched after tackling Collingwood's Alan Didak, having also felt pain in the final minutes of the Richmond game.

But the shoulder problem is not sufficiently serious for Hawthorn to have rested him, despite an unbeaten start to the season.

The Hawks say he has had a "dead arm" on occasion that only lasts for two or three minutes and then he's fine. This happened in the third quarter of the Collingwood game, when he laid a tackle on Didak and then clutched at his arm.

Franklin is perhaps the Dream Team's greatest attraction, and will be one of the match's most-watched performers, when he confronts four or five Hawk teammates in the Victorian team, and might be matched against the game's premier key defender, Geelong's Matthew Scarlett.

His withdrawal would have been a blow to the organisers, given that Gary Ablett — the game's hottest "small" in 2008 — has already pulled out due to injury, while much speculation has centred on whether Victorian captain Jonathan Brown will play for the Vics.

Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell, defender Campbell Brown, midfielder Brad Sewell, key defender Trent Croad and key forward Jarryd Roughead are in the Victorian squad. Franklin said yesterday he had no concerns about confronting his aggressive teammate Brown. "I'd still have to put my head over the ball, but I'd say if it came his way and I put my hip into his head, he'd probably s--- himself," Franklin said.