HAWTHORN’S Chance Bateman says his side won’t be dwelling onthe “line in the sand” rivalry which often dominates the airways in the lead upto clashes between the Hawks and Bombers.

But the talented midfielder is only too aware that KevinSheedy’s departure from Windy Hill at the end of the season gives thisparticular meeting even more resonance.

“We’ll need to match them physically early on because theyprobably will have a lot of emotion, because of the great rivalry that Essendonand Hawthorn have had, and Sheedy has been a part of that,” Bateman said.

Hawthornand Essendon have shared a colourful rivalry since the 1980s when they playedin three consecutive grand finals.

Morerecently, the two proud clubs contested the notorious “line in the sand” gamein June 2004 when a violent braw erupted during the third quarter.

Eighteenplayers faced a total of 27 charges as a result of the melee.

ThenHawthorn director and commentator Dermott Brereton was criticised for incitingthe brawl for admitting that he had urged several Hawthorn players to draw a"line in the sand" at half time after rough treatment on ruckmanRobert Campbell.

“There will be emotion but we just have to concentrate onwhat we’ve got to do to win the game,” Bateman, who was involved in the melee,said.

“Them playing for Sheedy and wanting to get into the finalsis all stuff that we can’t control.

“All we know is that Essendon, as they’ve said in the mediathis week, are really trying to play finals and they’re going to be out tryingto play their best footy. So we expect a high intensity game of footy becauseit’s a big one for both clubs.”

Bateman has played in many big games since his arrival at Waverley. However his50th game which he played in round eight, 2005, when he became the firstindigenous player at the club to achieve the milestone, is one of the highlightsof his career so far.

“When I first came to the club, it was one of my goals toreach that milestone. It was a special day, not just for me but it was a proudday for my whole family,” Bateman said.

The 26-year-old is certainly family oriented. From the smallcountry town of York in WesternAustralia, he initially found the move away from his family andfriends to Melbournevery difficult.

“I grew up in a town of about three or four thousand people.I’d only known that sort of lifestyle.

“I’d never moved away from home for school or anything and Icome from a really close family. So at 18 when I was told; ‘you have to go andmove to Melbourne’,which is a big city and so different to what I was used to, it was tough.

“I really missed home and my family but once the pre-seasonwas over and you start getting into games, you really don’t have a lot of timeto think about what’s going on back home.”

Now well settled in Victoria,Bateman still keeps in close contact with a group of close friends from home.

“I still have a group of about five of my best mates thatI’ve grown up with and went through school with, and I feel whenever I go backthere that nothing’s changed.

“They’re all the same, we’re all the same when we’re together…the best thing about the mates that you grow up with is that if they ever thinkthat you’re getting a little bit ahead of yourself they’ll bring you back downpretty quickly.”

Although Bateman admits to still missing friends and familyback home, he says that he can’t imagine playing for anyone else but Hawthorn.

In 2001, the Bateman family was struck by tragedy. Chance’syounger sister Candace passed away and he says that the way the club helped himand his family through what was an extremely difficult time, means he is indebtedto them forever.

“When you’re away from home and something like that happens,the club is all you really have. They were great.

“They gave me as much time as I needed at home with thefamily. There was no pressure to come back and play. They were reallysupportive and just gave me everything I needed.

“I’d really like to repay that loyalty by being a one-clubplayer. I definitely want to finish out my playing career at Hawthorn.”

It’s an experience which Bateman says has changed his wholeoutlook on life.

“You get a lot of opportunities which come up through yourlife. I think the key is to put everything you can into them and make the mostof it because it can all be taken away from you at any stage.”

As for the opportunity of playing in a premiership winningside, Bateman is playing it cool, just like his teammates.

“To say we’re premiership contenders is probably looking abit too far ahead at the moment. There’s no doubt that we have a very talentedside.

“Looking forward, hopefully we can build a premiership sideover the next two to three years.”