MATCH REPORT: Late goal from Cyril Rioli sees Hawks snatch win over Bombers
Hodge was subbed out during the reigning premier's nail-biting four-point win over Essendon on Friday night and coach Alastair Clarkson said he would likely spend time on the sidelines.
With fellow senior player Mitchell a late withdrawal with calf soreness and Brian Lake and Ben Stratton also missing, the Hawks looked rudderless from the moment Hodge was handed the red vest.
And the Bombers shifted up several gears, booting six unanswered goals in the third term to take the lead.
When Paul Chapman snapped a goal over his shoulder to put Essendon 10 points ahead 24 minutes into the final term it was hard to see a way back for Hawthorn.
"It didn't look great," Clarkson admitted.
But Shaun Burgoyne, Cyril Rioli and Jordan Lewis late in the game won critical stoppages and showed what great players do under pressure.
"When games hang in the balance, you need a couple of important players stepping up for you and leading well," Clarkson said.
"Twice and maybe three times in the last quarter, we went sort of eight or 10 points down, and (we) just hung in there and managed to score another goal.
"It was a special win for our club when we haven't played all that flash, really. In the end, we were pretty lucky to get the victory."
Hodge will have scans this weekend to determine how much damage has been done to his groin, while Mitchell is on track to meet the Dockers.
"The fact he (Hodge) was subbed out doesn't meant it looks great for next week," Clarkson said.
"But … sometimes groins can be fiddly things and you can get them up to play. (But) we won't be taking any risks."
Clarkson said the Hawks were far from playing their best footy and faced a massive challenge next Friday night against the Dockers – their first match for the season at the MCG.
"We didn't play that flash and were lucky to win tonight. We would like to be playing a little bit better than we are at the moment," he said.
"But we are winning games of footy — early wins are really handy to help set up your season.
"We won one tonight that we perhaps shouldn't have won. We just bank the four points and look at the things that we can do better than we did tonight."