HAWTHORN is readying itself for a fierce battle at the stoppages against the unbeaten Sydney Swans on Sunday.

The Swans boast one of the AFL's strongest groups of inside midfielders, led by former Hawk Josh Kennedy, who ranked fourth in the competition for clearances at the end of round four.

Kennedy amassed 16 clearances against Hawthorn in last year's semi-final, and is sure to be a major focus for Alastair Clarkson's men at Aurora Stadium this weekend.

Hawks half-back Matt Suckling said the midfield showdown would be a key to the match.

"I think if we can win the ball in the middle of the ground, that gets the ball in our forward line and makes the job a lot tougher for them," Suckling told hawthornfc.com.au.

"They've got some good ball winners in the middle.

"Some young blokes have really stepped up for them.

"And also up forward they've got some high quality players, so they're going to be hard to beat."

The visitors will regain co-captain Adam Goodes from suspension, with the dual Brownlow medallist set to play his club record-breaking 304th match.

"He's going to be pretty fresh, so he's going to be hard to contain," Suckling said.

Hawthorn has faced a testing first month of football, beating Collingwood and Adelaide but going down in close matches to Geelong and West Coast.

Suckling said the challenging opening had given the team confidence they could compete with the League's best teams.

"[The Eagles] are going to be a great side this year and they're going to be right in the hunt in September," the 23-year-old said.

"To be in the game for so long against them showed some good signs.

"It [the difficult first four weeks] gives us a really good indication of where we are in the competition.

"Everyone loves playing in the big games, so it's been a good start to the year."

Mark Macgugan covers Hawks news for AFL.com.au and hawthornfc.com.au. Twitter: @AFL_MarkM.