Fourth-placed Hawthorn has an eye on remaining in the top four ahead of a clash with the Sydney Swans at the MCG on Friday night.
But Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says the Hawks will be made to work for the four competition points.
“We know we’re always in for a great contest against them,” Clarkson said.
“So many of the games are really hard-fought encounters and are very evenly spread in terms of wins and losses and never much more than two or three goals separate the two sides.
“I’d expect things to be very similar on Friday night.”
No more than a goal has separated the Swans and Hawks the last three times the sides have met and the last four MCG matches are split down the middle.
The sides have also met in two recent grand finals, Sydney prevailing in 2012 and Hawthorn in 2014.
Hawthorn has won five games and lost two ahead of the Round 8 opener and is flying off the back of a 23-point win over Essendon last Saturday.
The win followed victories over Collingwood, the Geelong Cats, Melbourne and St Kilda but the Hawks had to dig the heels in to finish on top.
They trailed by seven points at half-time and broke free from the shackles in a six-goals-to-zero third term.
The third-quarter onslaught included 10 of the game’s 11 goals scored across the second and third quarters and opened a 31-point buffer at the final change.
Essendon had also kicked four of the first five goals of the opening term.
Clarkson praised his side’s tenacity.
“It was really good for our coaching staff and playing group to be challenged and try to find a way to win,” Clarkson said.
“We were giving the ball back to Essendon far too easily in the first half. I think they had something like a dozen marks off our kicks in the first half and two in the second half.
“We just became a bit smarter with our ball-use as the game wore on and didn’t kick it to Essendon's strengths.”
Midfielder Will Langford and forward Ricky Henderson will return for the Hawks after missing the Bombers clash, while young duo James Cousins and James Worpel are the two omissions.
Langford (back spasms) and Henderson (gastro) were late exclusions last week.
But Hawthorn’s selection news of most note are the injuries of outstanding small forwards Cyril Rioli (knee) and Paul Puopolo (hamstring), who suffered blows in Round 4 and haven’t returned.
Fellow small forward Luke Breust has come to the fore in absence of the two pocket-rockets and is running second behind towering North Melbourne forward Ben Brown in the race for the Coleman Medal.
Breust has bagged 20 goals from seven games and has not only impressed with his leading, marking and goal-kicking, but with intense defensive pressure.
Inspirational captain Jarryd Roughead brings a tall target to Hawthorn’s front six, while towering presence Jack Gunston is another forward to be wary of.
Roughead has been a staple to Hawthorn’s forward line since 2005, while Gunston has been a regular contributor since 2011.
But the Hawks’ biggest threat is star midfielder Tom Mitchell.
The former Swan tops the competition in disposals and clearances per game and is running second in inside 50s behind defending Brownlow Medallist Dustin Martin.
Whether Sydney tags Hawthorn’s reigning best and fairest remains to be seen.
