EARLIER in the week Terry Wallace drew comparisons with his Tigers and Carlton, and now Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson's doing it.

The good news for the Hawks is that they're like Geelong.

In the lead-up to Friday night's huge clash at the MCG, Clarkson said the way both clubs had built teams from rock-bottom was a terrific indication.

"It's going to be a big stage – the Cats have been a quality outfit for a long period of time now, and we've been following their progress with a fair amount of interest," he told a packed media conference on Thursday.

"They've built from the bottom up with a lot of great players – it started back in '99 with (Cameron) Ling and (Joel) Corey and all those sort of guys coming into their club.

"We're a little bit behind them in terms of the development and age and experience of our group, but we respect them enormously as a club and a group of players, and it's going to be a really big challenge for us tomorrow night."

Clarkson warned that although superstars Ling and Gary Ablett are both likely to miss with injury, and David Wojcinski is doubtful, Geelong's depth meant they could cover the loss.

"That's what happens when you build your list from the ground up over a long period of time," he said.

"They've brought some good young players in over the last couple of years – (Ryan) Gamble pops up and kicks four for them last week, and Joel Selwood's come into the side over the last 18 months and has jumped up to be an A-grade midfielder already.

"And they've brought another kid like Harry Taylor into their mix too.

"They're an outstanding unit, and we'd like to think we're starting to develop that depth ourselves at our club, but we're just a little bit behind them in terms of the age and experience of our group."