Hawthorn Coach Sam Mitchell has reflected upon Isaac Smith's contribution to the brown and gold, remembering his former teammate as a "loveable character".

Smith announced he would retire at the end of the 2023 season, following more than 260 games across both Hawthorn and Geelong.

Mitchell, who played with Smith between 2011 and 2016, reflected on the 34-year-old's contribution to the brown and gold. 

"I was really surprised when I found out to be honest, I think he's still playing fantastic football," Mitchell added.

"I remember when he first got to the club, he was a mature age and just he brought enthusiasm.

"Then at Geelong last year he won the Norm Smith, he is a big game player and such a loveable teammate.

"What you see is what you get - every time he was on the oval, whether it was for training, for weights, or for meetings he was a big personality with a lot of energy.

"I think people like him are the fabric of your football club when they're with you and we missed his energy and creativity around the place.

"I'm really glad he's had success around Geelong, I was always very thankful to have him on my team, he always covered for me quite often when I played with him, I'm proud of his career and he should be too."

Speaking ahead of Sunday's clash with the Bulldogs following an impressive win against Collingwood, Mitchell said it would provide another a huge challenge for his young side. 

"I was really happy for the Hawks fans out there to walk with a bit of pride and enjoy it for a whole week," Mitchell noted. 

"But certainly internally, we enjoy it for 24-28 hours and then we're straight back to work.

"We've been looking at the Bulldogs pretty heavily, they're a really good side, I thought they were fantastic last week.

"Their best footy is up there with anyones best, so we've got to put together a four quarter performance together and that's been our great challenge.

"We've had three out of four quarters in a lot of games this year, but haven't been able to put four together often enough to make us competitive."

Hear more from Mitchell ahead of the clash with the Dogs.