HAWTHORN believe Sunday's top-four clash with the Sydney Swans will test their growing strength and maturity, areas that have allowed the Swans to dominate the recent head-to-head record between the clubs.
The Swans have won the past six clashes against Hawthorn, including a nine-point win at the MCG and a 72-point thrashing at the SCG last year.
But Hawks assistant coach Todd Viney is hopeful his club has now developed the combination of muscle and tenacity necessary to combat the Swans' renowned strength in one-on-one contests.
"The last four years we've been rebuilding the team slowly, blooded a lot of young players over the journey," Viney said.
"At this stage I reckon we've matured a lot as a team, a lot of the guys that played the Swans over the last three or four years have strong bodies now, which you've got to have to play against Sydney.
"They play such a physical, disciplined game that you really do need to be physically mature and experienced to handle it.
"So I think this will be our best indication yet of how we're going against them and we're hoping that we'll certainly put up a better show."
Viney said last year's round 11 clash at the MCG, when the Hawks led early before being ground down, was an illustration of the physical edge the Swans have held.
"By the end of the game they'd really put the screws on us and physically we couldn't keep working as hard as what we did in the first half," he said.
The Hawks are hoping the weekend off will enable them to attack the run home with renewed intensity, after admitting to patchy form in the past few rounds.
The break came at the ideal time, with Chance Bateman, Brad Sewell and Simon Taylor all back from injury and Shane Crawford keeping his spot despite a knee problem.
"We've got guys that have put their hands up, particularly Crawford, he definitely wouldn't have played last week, Sewell definitely wouldn't have played last week," Viney said.
The Hawks have lost Jordan Lewis to a quadricep injury, while Brent Renouf is suspended, although he may well have made way for Taylor anyway.
The Swans' sole change was the return of dual Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes from suspension, replacing Barry Hall, banned for his much-publicised swipe at Collingwood's Shane Wakelin.
Viney said Hall's absence meant one less concern for the Hawthorn coaching staff, but noted the Swans' strong form during his earlier seven-week ban for punching West Coast's Brent Staker.
"One thing with Barry playing, you do know they're going to go through him quite a bit and when he doesn't play they become a little bit more unpredictable," he said.
"But (Ryan) O'Keefe, (Michael) O'Loughlin and Henry Playfair have got the flexibility to play Barry's role, so it's going to still be a pretty formidable opponent."
