HAWTHORN captain Luke Hodge is preparing himself for a showdown with the midfield he rates as the best in the AFL.

The Hawks face Carlton for the first time this season on Friday night, with a win guaranteeing a top four spot for Alastair Clarkson's team.

Hodge believes the battle with Chris Judd, Marc Murphy and the rest of the Blues' engine room will shape the outcome of the match.

"You always get up for a team that's got the likes of [Chris] Judd, [Marc] Murphy and [Bryce] Gibbs going through the midfield," Hodge said at Waverley Park on Wednesday.

"They've got an outstanding midfield, and that's where the game's going to be won."

Asked where he ranked Carlton's onball brigade against the rest of the League, Hodge was in little doubt.

"You'd have to rate them right at the top," he said.

"With the performance that Judd's had this year, and also Murphy's been matching him as well, and then you throw in different guys, [Andrew] Carrazzo's come back in to do a bit of a tagging role, and then you've got [Mitch] Robinson who's in there and has had a good year as well.

"So I rate that midfield as high as any."

After joking that the Hawks might have "about three or four guys" run with Judd to try to limit his impact, Hodge said it was important not to pay too much attention to the reigning Brownlow medallist at the expense of others.

"We'll go in with our tactics, but you can't just worry about one guy," the 27-year-old said.

"They've got three or four guys that have had fantastic years, so we'll go in with our game-plan and hopefully it holds up."

Mark Macgugan writes for hawthornfc.com.au and covers Hawks news for afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @mmacgugan