Hawthorn stand-in coach Brendon Bolton’s sweet, media-friendly face was addressing the issue of Cyril Rioli’s latest hamstring injury after Hawthorn had made light work of the Gold Coast Suns in Launceston on Saturday.

“He just runs so quick, doesn’t he?” said Bolton.

The seventh hamstring injury of Rioli’s career, which could see him miss the rest of the season, puts Hawthorn’s quest for back-to-back premierships on the skids.

Hawthorn’s Cyril Rioli.

Rioli’s hamstrings are tighter than John Bonham’s snare. Whatever happened to him altering his running technique, as we were told he did in 2012, to combat the problem?

“We need to improve his running mechanics, we need to improve his posture, so how he runs and holding his posture when he gets fatigued,” Hawks fitness chief Andrew Russell said at the time.

“The big thing for us is trying to change muscle memory, and muscle memory takes thousands of hours of repetition to change.”

Clearly it hasn’t taken. In Rioli, the Hawks have a Porsche – with a dodgy clutch.

His injury just confirms the fragile nature of AFL dominance – any club is just one or two injuries away from struggle town.

Hawthorn, however, are a slightly different beast. Instead of the club song, they should do a version of Pete Seeger’s We Shall Overcome after their next win. They’ve made an art form of dealing with adversity in 2014.

Rioli has already missed a sizeable chunk of the season, as have Sam Mitchell, Josh Gibson and Brian Lake.

The Hawks, however, keep on keeping on.

Which brings us to the question, which player could the premiership contenders least afford to lose? Who are the men that, if they tweak a calf or hammy, could throw premiership odds into disarray.

Josh Kennedy has been a standout for the Swans. Photo: Getty

Hawthorn – Luke Hodge

Forget the brilliance of Rioli, the class of Mitchell, the stopping power Gibson, or the rebound of Lake – Hodge makes Hawthorn believe. He’s equal part leader, enforcer and playmaker, and without him the Hawks’ chances of back-to-back flags would nosedive.

Port Adelaide – Jay Schulz

It sounds inconceivable to those who followed his career at Richmond, but Schulz is a large part of the reason Port have been so impressive this season. He’s kicked 45 goals through Round 15 to lead the Coleman medal, and there’s no doubt his presence has made it easier for the likes of Chad Wingard (26 goals) and Robbie Gray (21) to get among the action.

Sydney – Josh Kennedy

Yes Buddy’s playing well, yes Tippett’s important but if the Swans are to have any hope of getting the ball down there enough times to kick a score, Kennedy needs to be there. The midfield class of Hawthorn, and brute size and strength of Fremantle, means Kennedy can’t miss out for the Swans.

Fremantle – Michael Barlow

Michael Barlow is a crucial cog in Fremantle’s engine room. Photo: Getty

May seem an odd choice in a midfield oozing with classier players, but Barlow is the most vital cog in Ross Lyon’s machine. He missed four games with a knee injury earlier in the season – and Fremantle lost three of them. He’s started to find his very best over the past few weeks, and will be this hack’s pick for the Norm Smith should Freo get back to the big dance.

Geelong – Joel Selwood

This one’s a no brainer. Selwood is the Cats’ skipper, best player and his influence on games is as big as anybody’s. Without him, the Cats will struggle come September.

Collingwood – Dayne Beams

Over the quad problems that dogged his 2013 season, Beams is almost back to his 2012 peak. He’s a great kick, hits the scoreboard, and gives a massive headache to opposition coaches in tossing up which of the Pies classy midfielders to run with.