HAWTHORN Assistant Coach Brett Ratten says the on-field leadership displayed by Hawthorn players this season is the best he’s seen.

The comments come after the Hawks were able to turn around a 20 point deficit against Collingwood last weekend to run out big winners by 55 points at the MCG.

The Hawks were struggling to adapt to the wet conditions, before the on-field leadership of players such as Captain Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell, Lance Franklin and Jordan Lewis came into effect.

Ratten says the ability of the playing group to make an adjust to the game midway through the second term was testament to the maturity of the group and the communication of its leaders.

“Like any coaching group, we are trying to get the players to coach on field,” Ratten told hawthornfc.com.au

“When you look at the leaders at the Club like Hodge, Mitchell, Lewis, Birchall is really growing from a leadership point of view and is also a great player.

“Roughead, Buddy, when you look at all the lines, you’ve got these players that have played the game for a bit and some are still very young, their ability to adapt and change and do things in the game is very, very good.

“It’s probably the best that I’ve seen.”

He says that was the most pleasing thing about the win over the Pies.

“The ability to change in the game, we can adapt to different scenarios and conditions as well and then just change within the game, that has been really pleasing.

“I don’t think we’ve played this way or that way all the time, we’ve actually been able to change a bit so that’s been a really pleasing thing.”

The on field leadership of the experience players, he says has also helped youngster Bradley Hill and 2013 debutants Jed Anderson and Taylor Duryea settle in and perform their role at senior level.

“They get great direction (the young players),” Ratten said.

“Their (the leaders’) ability to help others to get what we want has been really good and it does help the younger players who come into the team.

“When you are a young player, you then feel part of the group when you get that direction from the older boys to set you up to do what the team wants, it gives you great confidence.”

That ability to adapt and change to the way the game is being played could be tested again this weekend, as the Hawks prepare to take on a formidable defensive opponent in Fremantle at Aurora Stadium on Saturday.

The second best defensive side in the league, Fremantle and its coach, Ross Lyon pride itself on being one of the toughest opponents to score against because of its willingness and hunger to apply pressure.

But Ratten says the Hawks won’t be too caught up in Fremantle’s defensive stats, given it has the weapons up forward to kick a big score.

“Some of the systems Ross has applied in the last 10 years of his coaching, you can see Fremantle replicate a lot of things like that,” he said.

“They’re very defensive but also have great ability to score as well so because of that defensive mindset, they’ve really suffocated opponents in games.

“When you’ve got Pavlich and co. up forward, it makes them extremely dangerous.”