There’s just two weeks to go until Hawthorn kick off their pre-season campaign against Geelong and, according to crafty forward Luke Breust, the playing group is prepared for the challenge.

“I feel like we’re ready, and the boys are really excited.”

“We’ve just started to do some match play so that will help us lead into the JLT series really nicely.”

The Hawks will take on the Cats at UTAS Stadium, Launceston, on Friday 17 February.

Aside from the fierce ongoing rivalry between the two teams, Breust believes the upcoming match will provide plenty more talking points.

“I think the most interesting thing is going to be playing them away from the ‘G, plus it’s the first hit out and the first time we’ll be starting to hit bodies again.

The Hawks have won their last 19 contests at UTAS Stadium (formerly known as Aurora Stadium), a record they will be looking to continue.

“I think the record that we have down there is first class,” says Breust.

“The Tassie fans really get around us, and we like playing on the ground because the surface is fantastic, so hopefully we can continue our good track record down there.”

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With Jarryd Roughead fit and healthy, and the insertion of recruit Ty Vickery, the Hawthorn forward line will likely be looking a bit different this year, and Breust says it’s a welcome change.

“Ty coming from Richmond brings some experience as he can share some things that he thought Richmond did well in their forward line.

“Rough coming back adds a completely different element to our forward line and the way we go about our footy.”

“I’m really looking forward to playing alongside both of those guys throughout the season, and obviously all the other forwards who have been there for a number of years.

“We’ve played a lot of footy together, and I think we can create some havoc for the opposition defenders."