HAWTHORN forward Ben Dixon will play his200th game when his side take on the Bulldogs at Telstra Dome thisSunday but the 30-year-old admits that more than anything, he wants to play onnext year - if his body allows him.

Dixon is contracted on a year-to-year basis and says scans on histroublesome knee at the end of the year will dictate whether he gets theopportunity to tackle another season with the high flying Hawks.

"I've really got to convince themedical staff that I can do it," Dixonsays.

"I have my scans at the end of theyear. It wasn't great last year - there were stages when I thought, 'Can I goon this year?' so I made the decision I would and I've got this far."

Dixon says that uncertainty regarding his future, and missedopportunities in the past, makes him all the more determined to make the mostof the possibilities that this season has to offer.

"I play every game like it's my last.It sounds funny and everyone says you've got to do that (but) when we lost theprelim final (in 2001) I thought, 'This is going to be exciting, we might playfinals each year' and we haven't played for six years, so when the opportunity'sthere you've got to grab it."

Dixon says what's motivating him to play on most of all is the excitingcrop of youngsters at the club at the moment, which represents what he believesis a new era for the Hawks.

"I look after myself because I want tobe a part of this group, not for success but because they're an exciting groupof kids to work with."

The Hawks' new generation of super talentedforwards, such as Lance Franklin, Jarryd Roughead and Tim Boyle, has seen Dixon's job on the teamevolve.

Last year Dixon enjoyed perhaps his best season,scoring 39 goals, however this year he admits he's very much playing in asupporting role.

"I suppose my role is any crumbs thatcome my way, I jump on them. I don't get many possessions these days so I tryand make the most of my opportunities and if I can support the guys in any wayI do.

"It's pretty exciting to watch themwhen they're up and going," he says.

"The young lads coming through, likeBuddy, have gone up a level and surprised me they way they've gone this yearand how consistent they've been … but I think they need an old head in theresometimes."

While Dixon'srole in the side has changed, so too have his duties off the field. As one ofthe senior members of the squad, he is thriving in his role as a mentor.

"You feel like you're running a crèchehere at times with the amount of kids here. Crawf (Shane Crawford) feels about50!

"When Buddy first came to the club, Iput my hand up to work quite closely with him.

"Coming from interstate it's prettytough. We knew he had plenty of talent but I sort of put my hand up to workwith him a bit and it's been exciting and an influential time for him.

"He's learned a lot and come on thisyear in leaps and bounds. He's got such raw talent so it's been about guidinghim about the way the team works.

"You could let him loose out there andhe could do his own thing but we're here to play as a team and I think that'sthe best thing he's learned this year is it's not all about the individual.

"He's been able to contribute and whenhe's not been kicking goals, he's contributing in other ways."

Dixon says the real life attitude of the competition's next big thing isfar different to that of his public perception.

"He's as placid as anything. He's likea little pup, to be honest. I've never seen him fire up at all, only on thefield when they have a go at him.

"Funnily enough, there's sort of animage of him as being pretty confident but he didn't really say 'boo' when hefirst got here, it took a while to get a word out of him."

This week, however, Dixon will be concentrating on his own fieldtasks. And while he's delighted to reach his milestone, he insists that hestarted out with very modest ambitions.

"I'm not a superstar of thecompetition by any means but to play my whole career at the one club and get to200 games it a big honour for me