JOSH Gibson says the Hawks didn’t take its foot off the pedal over the bye weekend and are ready to tackle the Blues on Friday night.

Hawthorn headed into its break with nine wins and one loss having just defeated the Demons by 95 points at the MCG.

Full of momentum, some would argue the break was not ideal for the Hawks at Round 11, but Gibson says it was a welcome time for the playing group.

He says it gave the players a chance to freshen up both physically and mentally after a tough start to the season.

“Blokes’ bodies are probably a bit sore and it gives you a chance to physically and mentally have a rest, unwind and recharge the batteries and fire up for the second half of the year,” Gibson said at the Ricoh Centre on Tuesday.

Gibson the players enjoyed a few days off before returning to the Club on Friday last week for a skills session at the Ricoh Centre.

With a Friday night game against Carlton at Etihad Stadium this week, there was no time to waste in preparing for the big clash.

He says the session on Friday and training over the long weekend has enabled the side to keep its foot on the accelerator and continue the good form shown in the first 10 rounds.

“The way that we structured our break, guys were still training,” he said.

“We got back on Friday and had a skills session, were in on Saturday morning and trained yesterday so we’ve had some good sessions.

“Maybe the Friday session was a chance to get the cobwebs out but you can’t take your foot off the pedal and relax as such.”

Hawthorn has won the past nine matches against the Blues who are coming off a heartbreaking 5-point loss to Essendon last Friday night.

That streak accompanies another – with the Hawks looking for its tenth straight win of the year.

Gibson says all that means nothing when the two teams cross the white line and head into battle on Friday night.

“We’ve had a really pleasing start to the year but that’s behind us now - it’s great to get wins early so you can build in the second half of the year,” he said.

“Those past records against Carlton go out the window.

“They’re a different team and have a new coach – we’re looking forward to the challenge.”