BEN STRATTON could be asked to stop Port Adelaide gamebreaker Robbie Gray from repeating his match-winning feats of last week when the teams meet on Saturday.

Hawk Luke Breust predicts his teammate will be asked to mark Gray because of the importance of stopping the Power star when he pushes forward in the preliminary final.

Fremantle struggled to curtail Gray in the third quarter of last Saturday's semi-final, and the result was a devastating four-goal burst.

Breust said the Hawks would be ready to take on Gray in the midfield but identified Stratton as the responsible player when he went into attack.

"The hardest thing with Robbie is that he can go in the midfield and have an impact in there as well as float forward and kick goals," Breust told AFL.com.au.

"In the midfield it's up to all the midfielders to try and be wary of him and make sure he doesn't have the same impact he had on the weekend."
Hamish Hartlett said this week the Power had benefitted from a mid-season review of their training regime that sparked a turnaround in their form after they fell from the top of the ladder.

Breust said the Hawks would be wary of their ability to burst games open with their elite running ability and fast ball movement.

"We've had a good look at them on Saturday night and obviously that second half they played, they overran Freo and were very good," he said.

"They had a bit of a flat patch in the middle of the year but outside of that they've certainly been a quality second-half side.

"We'll definitely have to watch that and if it does get tight late in the game we have to be mindful they can have spurts and bursts that can blow the game open."

The Power played two finals last season, but before that hadn't appeared in September since 2007.

In comparison, the Hawks have played in 15 finals since then.

Breust isn't convinced their respective level of experience will make a significant difference on Saturday.

"Finals are always very close and it's handy to have some experience but at the same time their run and energy can be an x-factor for them as well," he said.

"No doubt it's going to be a tight game and I don't think our experience will help too much."

Breust also said forward Cyril Rioli had remained upbeat throughout his recovery from a round 15 hamstring tendon injury, and was optimistic this week as he pushed for selection.  

"He's always very positive around the club and is always very vibrant and joking with the boys," he said.

"You never really see him down at all, depending on how he's playing, and no matter what's going on in his life he seems to be pretty good around the club."