HAWTHORN assistant coach Leon Cameron has labelled Sunday’s match with the Crows as a big match for the Club in the context of the season.

The Hawks have played last year’s grand finalists in the opening two rounds and with the side sitting on one win and one loss, getting the four points on Sunday is crucial.

“This is a big match, it’s a huge match for us, we’re one and one - we need to be on the better side of the ledger,” Cameron said.

The backline faces another tough challenge this week, facing in-form Crows pair Kurt Tippett and Taylor Walker, who have booted 12 goals between them in the opening two rounds.

“Coming across the big key forwards of the big sides is always a great challenge, but the thing with our defence is they’re really competitive,” Cameron said.

“Schoenmakers, Gibson, Stratton, Birchall, Burgoyne and those guys, they learn all the time, they work on what they need to get better at and they keep on working on the strengths that they are really good at.

“I think it’ll be a great dual for our backs against some of their key forwards who are in good form.”

The Crows are undefeated so far in 2012, with an impressive pre-season campaign culminating in the night premiership and an equally impressive opening to the home-and-away season.

Cameron says that contributing factors have been the Crows’ emphasis on winning the contested ball and combing that with an attacking mindset.

“They’ve improved in a number of areas, sometimes it’s hard to say they’ve just improved in this area and that’s why they’re winning, it’s a combination of three or four things,” he said.

“The confidence they’re playing with, they’re obviously harder - their contested ball is outstanding.

“They’ve always been able to run, so they’re combing the contested possession with the ability to use their run and play on as well and that’s a great challenge for our guys.”

Cameron also praised the output of Hawks forward Brendan Whitecross who has imposed himself in two big matches to start the 2012 season, averaging 24 disposals, four tackles and two goals per game.

“He’s a great kid, he works hard on the training track and he’s very diligent in his game and the structures in knowing how we want to play and how the opposition plays, he does his homework,” he said.

“His first two games have been really good against quality opposition, and he knows he’s just got to keep backing it up.

“It’s just time, and time has helped him get better and better as the year’s go on.”

Kate Salemme is a member of Hawthorn Football Club’s Digital media team reporting exclusively for hawthornfc.com.au from the Ricoh Centre.