St Kilda insist they had no choice but to leave out five injured stars, including captain Nick Riewoldt, for Saturday's AFL match against Hawthorn in Launceston.

It will take a mammoth effort for the Saints to avoid having their 18-match unbeaten streak ended by the reigning premiers, after they named a severely depleted side.

Along with Riewoldt, midfield guns Lenny Hayes, Leigh Montagna and Brendon Goddard and tagger Steven Baker have all been omitted.

Riewoldt was concussed during last round's narrow win over Sydney, while Montagna injured his elbow during that match.

Goddard (knee), Hayes (back) and Baker (knee) have all been forced out by longer-running complaints.

Coach Ross Lyon forecast earlier in the week the club would be conservative at selection with any players under injury clouds.

But football manager Greg Hutchison says that all five have genuine injuries and it is more than just a case of the club using the luxury of their buffer at the top of the ladder to give sore players a break in the lead-up to the finals.

"They've come to a situation where they're not available to play," Hutchison said.

"We're playing the reigning premiers in Tasmania on the weekend, who are desperate to win to play a part in the finals.

"We've had a terrific run with 18 wins and we'd like to keep it going, so we've picked the best available side."

Interestingly, ruckman Steven King, who had a shoulder pop out in a collision during last round's win over Sydney, was not one of the players left out.

But there were some gains, ruckman Michael Gardiner returning after an injury absence, giving the Saints a three-strong ruck contingent, along with King and Ben McEvoy.

Key defender Zac Dawson is back from suspension to take on his former club for the first time, while midfielder Luke Ball has been reinstated after a stint in the VFL.

Youngster Jack Steven has been named for his debut, with Jarryn Geary the other inclusion.

While the Saints' changes are good news for the Hawks' hopes of squeezing into the finals, they have some injuries of their own.

Brent Guerra (shoulder) and Xavier Ellis (ankle) have both been forced out, while Cameron Stokes has been dropped.

Their ruck stocks have also been bolstered by the return of Robert Campbell, with Michael Osborne and Travis Tuck the other inclusions.

The Saints' rash of missing stars mirrors Geelong's selections after their round 14 loss to the Saints, when they lost six players, including guns Gary Ablett and Matthew Scarlett, before losing to Brisbane the following round.

The selections caused turmoil in betting markets, with TAB Sportsbet bringing the Hawks in from $3.15 outsiders at the start of the week to $1.70 favourites on Thursday night, after teams were announced.

Fellow agencies Sportingbet and Centrebet did likewise, Centrebet reducing the Hawks' odds from as much as $3.55 to $1.72.

Several agencies had suspended betting pending the teams announcement after hearing rumours of what was to come.

As well as putting at risk the Saints' chances of an historic sweep through the home and away season, the omissions could also affect their stars' Brownlow Medal chances.

In particular, both Goddard and Montagna are rated as contenders for the league's highest individual honour.

Saturday's match had already loomed as the Saints' hardest remaining test in the run home.

If they survive that challenge, they then have to beat Essendon, North Melbourne and Melbourne - all current bottom eight sides - to become the first club since Collingwood in 1929 to go unbeaten through the home and away season.

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