HAWTHORN defender Ryan Burton remains a realistic chance to overcome his left ankle injury and play against Geelong on Easter Monday.

The 21-year-old wrenched his ankle when he accidentally trod on Collingwood debutant Jaidyn Stephenson's right heel as they chased the loose Sherrin late in the second quarter last Saturday night.

An anguished Burton looked in serious pain in the immediate aftermath, but was walking without the aid of crutches after the Hawks' 34-point win.

AFL.com.au understands there has been minimal swelling around the ankle, which is the same leg he broke in 2014, and he is on track to face the Cats.

Burton may not have been ready in usual circumstances, but Hawthorn's nine-day break has heightened the young star's chances of taking his place.

"At the time, we thought he was a possibility to come back into the game [on Saturday]," Hawks high performance manager Andrew Russell told hawthornfc.com.au.

"As time went on, the ankle got a little bit worse, so we made the decision to pull him out.

"He’ll be a test this week, I don’t know if he’ll get up but he’s a genuine chance right now."

The worst-case scenario for him is he will miss one match and return for the Hawks' round three clash with reigning premier Richmond on Sunday week.

Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson told Channel 7's Talking Footy on Monday night that Burton was "touch and go".

"Fortunately for us, we don't think it's really, really serious, but he's walking around today and looked really good," Clarkson said.

"But (it's a) big game and big opponent, so we probably won't be taking too big a risk, so he'd need to be cherry ripe and if he is, he'll play.

"If he's not, we'll wait for the next week."

Midfielder Will Langford is an outside chance of returning to match play next week after recovering from a broken hand. He is back doing ball work.

And star forward Cyril Rioli has recovered well from his first game in 10 months.

"We were pleased with his output and he’ll only get better," Russell said.