Beware the sleeping giant.

Hawthorn Football Club has, as they say, too many runs on the board to be discounted ahead of any match-up, especially in the lead up to Friday night's clash against modern-day rivals the Sydney Swans at the SCG.

The Hawks may be sitting 17th on the ladder, with three wins and six losses, and some familiar faces may not be there anymore, but they still exude so much premiership experience and key players in good form including former Swan Tom Mitchell who is coming off the back of an incredible 50 disposals against the Pies and who returns to the SCG for the first time since his move south.

It's with this in mind, led by skipper Jarryd Roughead, the Hawks still pose a threat to the Swans' hops of four-straight wins.

"I still think they're one of the best sides in the competition," star midfielder Luke Parker declared on Fox Footy's AFL 360 on Wednesday night.

Plenty of eyes will be on this contest and not only because of the rivalry these two clubs have built in recent times but because a defeat could spell disaster for either side.

If the Hawks lose they'll slump to 3-7 for the first since 2005.

Similarly, if the brown and gold can bounce back from its 18-point loss to Collingwood last weekend, the Swans will slump to the same win-loss ratio and the mountain in front of them, with finals being the summit, will be near impossible to climb.

But just as the Sydney Swans are welcoming back a number of key players from injury - Kurt Tippett, Gary Rohan and Dane Rampe the inclusions last week - the Hawks are on the other side of the ledger and will be without a number of key personnel for a number of weeks.

Of those include Cyril Rioli (knee). You can't help but shudder, being a Swans fan, when remembering what Rioli did in the corresponding game last season. With only seconds left on the clock, the superstar went back and drilled a long-range goal from the boundary to sink the Swans' hearts and win the match, the Hawks' third consecutive triumph at the SCG.

Rioli, along with James Frawley, Grant Birchall and Ben Stratton, are still some weeks away from returning while boom recruit Jaeger O'Meara won't be rushed back according to reports.

If AFL.com.au reporters are on the money, key defender Kaiden Brand, who was a late withdrawal in Round 9, may resume his place in the selected team, while Tim O'Brien was thrown up as an option as the key forward has recovered from a minor hip injury.