Following his off-season departure from Richmond, Hawthorn recruit Tyrone Vickery has a new-found sense of excitement as the 2017 season approaches.

Speaking to Matt Thompson from afl.com.au, the former Tiger said he feels reinvigorated after being exposed to a fresh system, despite Richmond coach Damien Hardwick being a former assistant to Vickery's new head coach, Alastair Clarkson.

"I'm sure every football club differs in varying ways. (Hardwick and Clarkson) have a few different philosophies on football and training. It's been really refreshing, having spent eight years in the one system, to have a complete change," Vickery said.

Despite leaving one success-starved club for a team that has won three of the last four premierships, the 2008 number eight draft pick told of the challenges that he has nevertheless been confronted by.

"It can be quite intimidating I think. I've walked into a place where there's a lot of premiership players, a lot of guys that have had a lot of success even from a young age".

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After enduring a 2016 season that saw the forward-ruck struggle for consistent senior selection at Richmond, Vickery explained that it became somewhat of a mutual decision between player and club that the 26-year old sought his options elsewhere.

"The club felt that they needed to go in a different direction with the way they structured the team at Richmond and I felt I needed a fresh set of eyes to teach me and judge my performance to hopefully reenergise me".

Vickery has been one of Hawthorn's most impressive performers in the opening two games of the JLT Community Series.

After an encouraging first outing in the brown and gold against Geelong in the pre-season opener, Vickery was one of the Hawks best in last weekend's loss to North Melbourne, gathering 17 disposals, including a equal team-high nine contested possessions, six marks, three tackles and two goals.