GUARDING against complacency will be Hawthorn's greatest challenge as the club strives for back-to-back flags in 2014, according to coach Alastair Clarkson.
The Hawks are set to unfurl their premiership flag against the Brisbane Lions at Aurora Stadium at 4.40pm on Saturday.
It will be a reminder of an outstanding 2013 campaign but, as Clarkson says, it counts for nothing when facing a new season.
"The game is a mental challenge, whether you're the reigning premier or the wooden-spooner from the year before," Clarkson said.
"There's plenty of challenges within our game and just when you think you're going along okay, a big bear jumps on your back.
"There's no guarantees, even though you've had success the previous year, that you're going to get there again the next year.
"So we've got to work hard and keep a real close eye on our culture, and our gameplan, and the things we do inside our footy club that we believe give us the best chance of success."
Hawthorn's first step on the road back to the top of the mountain comes against an outfit it belted by 131 points in the NAB Challenge in February.
The Lions were without key defenders Daniel Merrett and Joel Patfull, skipper Jed Adcock, plus midfielders Brent Moloney, Tom Rockliff, Daniel Rich, Pearce Hanley and Jack Redden in that match.
All eight players are in the side for Justin Leppitsch's first game as coach.
"They put out an under-21s side really in their first hit-out and rested a lot of their more senior players,” said Clarkson.
“So we'll see a completely different outfit this week, both in terms of the personnel they play and probably the manner in which they play."
"We're as ready for that as we possibly can be, but we need to play our brand of footy and obviously try to contain some of their strengths."
Hawthorn heads into the match with an under-sized backline – notably missing suspended Norm Smith medallist Brian Lake.
However Clarkson points out it has rarely hindered the Hawks in recent seasons, and could in fact be an advantage.
"We haven't been tall down back for a long period of time and we've still been able to win a great majority of games that we've played over the last three or four years," he said.
"They're obviously taller than us down back, but they're not as agile as us in that part of the ground either."
Hawks fans will get their first look at three new faces and welcome back a key player for the round one clash.
Derick Wanganeen and Tim O'Brien will make their senior debuts, while former St Kilda ruckman Ben McEvoy will pull on the brown and gold for the first time.
Matt Suckling also returns from an ACL injury in his right knee, suffered in last year's NAB Cup at the same ground.
