Jack Steven won’t make his club debut for Geelong against Hawthorn, the Cats taking a conservative approach with his return to the field following last month’s stabbing incident.

The former St Kilda star, who was cleared by the AFL over the incident that saw him hospitalised with a chest wound, missed about a week a half of training while he recovered.

Geelong made three changes for Friday night’s clash at GMHBA Stadium, with Brandan Parfitt, Jed Bews and Rhys Stanley included, while the Hawks brought in Blake Hardwick for injured midfielder Jaeger O’Meara.