West Coast coach John Worsfold has challenged young defenders Eric Mackenzie and Beau Wilkes to halt in-form Hawthorn pair Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead in Sunday's AFL clash at Subiaco.

Mackenzie and Wilkes, who is expected to recover from a neck injury suffered against the Demons last week, have just 18 games of AFL experience between them.

But with skipper Darren Glass still battling a number of niggling injuries, Worsfold said the young defensive pair were likely to be handed the job of shutting down Hawthorn's twin towers, who have combined for 153 goals this season.

Franklin needs just six more goals to reach 100 for the year.

"They are both very good players," Worsfold said of the Hawthorn duo.

"Those two guys have kicked a lot of goals each, they are the real two key focal points for them.

"We have got young defenders that will have those big challenges.

"It's looking at what Eric Mackenzie and Beau Wilkes have shown over the last few weeks and they've taken up some big challenges and performed very well."

Worsfold said forward Ashley Hansen (ankle) was a strong chance to return this weekend but David Wirrpanda (cork) is set to spend a second week on the sidelines.

"It's a pretty bad cork and it's right in his buttock running into his hamstring and his hamstring was sore anyway, so it's sort of linked to that," Worsfold said of Wirrpanda.

"In the last game he played he complained of a sore hamstring and then got the cork, so it's a bit of both."

Injury-plagued midfielder Sam Butler is a chance to return to the Eagles' senior side after stringing together a number of strong performances in the WAFL over the past month.

The Hawks will enter the match without star midfielder Luke Hodge, who accepted a one-match ban for striking Richmond's Brett Deledio last Sunday at the MCG.

AAP