TIME flies when you’re having fun, as Hawthorn key defender Brian Lake can attest to.
The dual premiership Hawk will don the brown and gold for the 50th time when the Hawks face Carlton at the MCG on Saturday.
After 197 games with the Western Bulldogs, Lake joined the Hawks prior to the 2013 season.
He said his Hawthorn experience had been “really enjoyable” so far.
“I’m now in my third year at Hawthorn and I feel like it has gone quickly,” the 33-year-old said.
“It’s been sensational.
“I needed a change and I was looking for team success… I’d been close to that with the Bulldogs and I wanted to get that before I finished football.
“There’s been some really big highs and some hiccups along the way, but it’s been great.”
Lake says it wasn’t an easy decision to leave the Bulldogs to join the Hawks, but with two premierships from two seasons, he has been able to enjoy the team success he craved.
While the premierships have been highlights of Lake’s career to date in brown and gold, there are two games that stick out in his memory.
One is last year’s grand final – specifically the first quarter – with the other being the 2013 preliminary final, “when Shaun Burgoyne turned it on when we were about 19 points down in the last quarter and we ended up getting a win.”
With the Hawks on the verge of another finals campaign, the 2013 Norm Smith Medallist's thirst for team success is yet to be quenched.
The 246-game defender has played 17 of a possible 21 matches this season, and believes he is ready to have a big impact at the business end of this year.
After a strong pre-season and a consistent run of games this year, Lake said he would enter this year’s finals series with his body in “really good” shape.
While a win against Carlton is Lake’s first priority, he believes that both he and the Hawks are tracking well heading towards this year’s finals.
With the Hawks securing a top four berth, and both Box Hill’s seniors and reserves sitting on top of the ladder, Lake is confident the club can enjoy some success this season.
“It’s completely different to the last two years – in 2013 we finished in the top two and everything ran pretty smoothly, and in 2014… it was definitely more of a grind,” Lake said.
“This year the list is looking reasonably good.
“There’s not too many guys with long term injuries… and we’re fit and raring to go.”
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