Hawthorn will take a conservative approach with injured star Cyril Rioli as he recovers from his latest hamstring strain.

Hawks football manager Mark Evans says the club is targeting a return against Melbourne in round 18, meaning the classy speedster will miss two games, as well as having the round 17 bye.

Rioli has a history of hamstring problems and Evans said the minor strain he sustained against Essendon last Friday night was probably a result of stirring up scar tissue from a previous injury.

He spent three weeks on the sidelines, including a bye, after injuring his hamstring in round five.

"Usually these things are quite minor, and he'll get up to reasonable speed very quickly," Evans told the club's website.

"(But) we're likely to take that little bit longer with it, so that we don't have a third event during the year."

Evans said it was possible Rioli would be ready to return after missing one game, or even none, but the club wanted to eradicate the chance of another repeat injury.

Midfielder Brad Sewell, who strained a medial ligament against the Bombers, is also likely to return against the Demons in round 18.

"That's how it's looking at this stage," Evans said.

But Clinton Young (hamstring) and Rick Ladson (thigh) should both be ready to return against Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday.

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