HAWTHORN'S 2012 campaign will kick off this weekend when a group of players, officials and sponsors fly to Papua New Guinea for a week-long trek along the historic Kokoda Track.

It will be the fourth time a delegation of Hawks has tackled the 96km track, the scene of bloody battles between Australian and Japanese troops during World War II.

Premiership wingman Xavier Ellis - who has missed past trips due to injury - will be the most experienced player in this year's touring party.

Ellis will be joined by former Adelaide forward Jack Gunston, who crossed to Hawthorn during Trade Week, as well as 2011 recruits Kyle Cheney, Isaac Smith and Paul Puopolo.

Youngsters Will Langford, Tom Schneider, Derick Wanganeen, Mitch Hallahan and Jack Mahony round out the playing contingent.

Senior coach Alastair Clarkson and recently appointed assistant coach Luke Beveridge will also complete the journey.

Puopolo, who won Hawthorn's best first-year player award this year after impressing in his 20 senior games, has been told by teammates who walked the trail in past years to expect a challenging week.

"They (teammates) said it's a little bit physical, but we've got a good fitness base already, so it's more a mental thing," the 23-year-old told AFL.com.au on Thursday.

"You don't have a bed, and you can't just disappear halfway - you have to do the whole thing.

"Apparently it gets a bit tough."

The 'four pillars of Kokoda' - courage, endurance, sacrifice and mateship - are written on the walls of the Hawks' Waverley Park gym, and have been central to the Hawthorn mantra under Clarkson.

Puopolo said he'd benefit from learning first-hand about the origin of those four words, which embodied the spirit of the heavily outnumbered Australian soldiers.

"When the club talks so highly about it, it's something that you really want to experience and learn exactly what they're talking about," he said.

"Just to see how the soldiers did it, and what those guys went through … to walk that track and do the hard yards that they did will be something to take away."