JORDAN Lewis' first assignment as a Hawthorn player, nearly eight years ago, was to lace up a pair of hiking boots and trek the infamous Kokoda Track.

Now an integral part of the Hawks' induction of new players, the 2004 trip was a first for the club.

Fresh out of the Geelong Falcons, the 18-year-old and his fellow draftees, including Jarryd Roughead and Lance Franklin, found themselves hauling sandbags up and down Kokoda's punishing hills alongside new teammates they'd considered heroes only months earlier.

"It was an amazing experience," Lewis told hawthornfc.com.au this week.

"For someone that's only been at the club for two weeks, we got to walk the trek with guys that we'd idolised, but in a situation where it's common ground; there were no egos."

Walking the track in peacetime was challenging enough, but Lewis gained enormous respect for the World War II troops who tackled the task under constant threat of ambush.

"You couldn't imagine what the diggers went through, but it must have been so tough," he said.

Hawthorn has made a further three trips to Kokoda since the inaugural journey, with every new player required to complete the trek.

The club will also play its third annual 'Kokoda match' against Gold Coast this weekend, wearing its camouflage-themed jumpers in tribute to the diggers.

Lewis said the common bond shared by each Hawthorn player in having trekked Kokoda provided inspiration on the field.

"It's a really important part of the culture of our club," he said.

"We know how hard it was, and if we're ever struggling in a game we can think back to how hard we were doing it then, and how hard the diggers did it, and you tell yourself [football] is easy."

As well as the different jumper, Lewis will also wear a special pair of Under Armour camouflage boots in the game, continuing his trend of wearing custom boots for each of Hawthorn's themed games this season.

In women's round the Hawks vice-captain wore pink boots, which later fetched $2,500 for charity at auction.