CHANCE Bateman will start his 13th AFL season aware that it could be his last.

With a strong pre-season behind him, the 174-game Hawthorn premiership player is well prepared for 2012.

Whether he goes beyond that is a decision he's yet to seriously contemplate.

"I'm contracted until the end of this year, and I suppose whether I go around again or not will depend on how the season goes, and also how the body holds up," Bateman told hawthornfc.com.au.

"But I haven't made any plans, and I haven't really thought about it too much to be honest."

At age 30, Bateman has sweated through more than a dozen pre-seasons.

"They don't get any easier," he said.

But the hard work has him confident of a good year for both he and his team.

"I've been able to get most of the pre-season done, so that's pretty important in terms of preparation for the year ahead," Bateman said.

"It's the same with a lot of the boys.

"We've had a good number of our list being able to complete the majority of the pre-season, so that puts us in good stead for the year."

The wingman's renowned hard running has been a feature of Hawthorn games throughout the 2000s.

The memory of him burning through the centre to kick the Hawks' first goal of the 2008 Grand Final victory against Geelong is an enduring one for fans of the brown and gold.

But with the emergence of young midfielders such as Shane Savage, Liam Shiels and Isaac Smith, Bateman is sure to face competition for his place in Alastair Clarkson's side this season.

He welcomes it.

"I think if you want to be one of the top sides, you need that pressure from within your own club," Bateman said.

"We've got a really good bunch of young guys that are all pretty exciting, and they love the hard work as well.

"Savage, Smith, Shiels ... all those blokes have had really good pre-seasons and it'll be great to see how they go this year."

The Western Australian has taken it upon himself to pass on as much of his experience to the Hawks' younger players as he can.

Although not a designated role, it is something he finds rewarding.

"I always take an interest in the indigenous and interstate boys that we get to the club," he said.

"Being from interstate, I think I've got some experience and some knowledge that I can share with them about homesickness and what it's like when you first come in, and just transitioning from that under-18s level into an AFL club."

That said, the pull of home has never really left Bateman. He plans on moving back to WA once his playing days are up.

"I've always said for as long as I've been over here, that when I finish I will probably head back, because all of my family and some of my really close friends that I grew up with still live over there," he said.

"This is my 13th season, so it's a long time to be away from home, and getting back there once I've finished has always been something I've looked forward to.

"But in saying that, if the club offers me a role once I've finished playing, that could be enough to keep me over here as well."

Hawks fans will be hoping to see a few more of those familiar dashes up and down the MCG wing before that decision has to be made.

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

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The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs