HAWTHORN is off to a flyer so far this summer, due in no small measure to premiership celebrations that could almost be described as muted.
Skipper Luke Hodge has revealed that despite an entitlement to between six and eight weeks of annual leave following their flag triumph, the Hawks were back training by October 20, barely three weeks after beating Fremantle in the Grand Final.
"We had the standards we had to come back to, the same and perhaps even higher as before, so we've had the same preparation," Hodge said Launceston while on the club's Australia Post AFL Community Camp.
"We had a couple of weeks off as we have in the past. But we built October 20, so even through we weren’t training as a group we have done a power of work either in smaller groups or on our own.
"We understand that we need to go harder at it because we'll be the target this year," he said.
The Hawks beat the depleted Brisbane Lions by 131 points and followed that on Friday night with a commanding 65-point win over a stronger North Melbourne unit at Aurora Stadium.
Some of the lesser lights on the depth chart such as Kyle Cheney, Will Langford, Kurt Heatherley, Jon Ceglar, Tim O'Brien and Derick Wanganeen have been among the impressive performers for the Hawks and Hodge believes the club's depth should hold it in good store this year.
"If you look at last year's results, all three teams made the Grand Final," he said.
The (Box Hill) development side lost by a point and both the seniors and and Hawthorn won, so we know we have great depth which is always a good sign because it will always put the pressure on for a spot in the first 22."
The Hawks play Melbourne at Casey Fields on March 8 in their last pre-season hit-out. Defenders Grant Birchall and Ben Stratton should play, while Ryan Schoenmakers is likely start to playing in the VFL following his ACL injury, later in March.
