HAWTHORN has been at pains to carefully manage the workload of its players this year, but durable defender Ben Stratton is one who hasn't needed a rest.
Stratton was among only three Hawks to play every game of the home and away season, along with small forward Luke Breust and Coleman medallist Jarryd Roughead.
The West Australian also played every game of 2012, meaning Friday night's qualifying final against the Sydney Swans will be his 50th straight appearance since returning from a serious knee injury for the 2011 semi-final.
Although his low possession rate compared to some of his teammates means he won't feature in awards such as the Brownlow Medal, Stratton's worth to his team cannot be underestimated.
As a mark of how highly he is rated within the walls at Waverley, Hawthorn players this week nominated the 24-year-old as their entry in the AFL Players Association most courageous player award – voting for him over such renowned hardnuts as Luke Hodge, Brent Guerra and Brad Sewell.
At 189cm, with good aerobic capacity and ability in the air, Stratton is also versatile.
He can play on tall or small opponents, and often does both within the same game.
In last week's round 23 win over the Swans, he spent most of the evening on the speedy Gary Rohan.
This week, with Kurt Tippett likely to return to add extra height to the Swans' forward set-up, he thinks he might find himself up against athletic big man Jesse White.
"It's good to have different roles and change it up from week to week," Stratton told AFL.com.au in the lead-up to this week's match.
"Sometimes you'll have a high workrate game when you're playing on the smalls – you're running around and you've really got to be on your toes around stoppages.
"And then some games, you're flying a bit more in the air with the talls and getting a few more spoils.
"There are good points about both, I reckon."
While star teammates such as Lance Franklin, Cyril Rioli and Hodge grab the limelight, Stratton is happy in the background.
"It's more rewarding helping out your teammates and playing your role than worrying about the other stuff," he said.
"So I'm easy just slipping under the radar a little bit.
"In-house you get the recognition, which is nice."
About to take part in his fourth AFL finals series, Stratton is now used to the rise in intensity and expectation.
But that doesn't make the coming weeks any less exciting.
"Everything just steps up one or two gears," he said.
"It's sort of a different game, with the increased pressure, and even the weather – everything changes within one week.
"You're getting sunny weather, the crowds go up – it's exciting.
"Just to know we've only got three or four games left in the season – it comes around pretty quickly."
