AS HE becomes increasingly at ease in Hawthorn's backline, Brian Lake is disproving the theory that you can't teach an old Dog new tricks.
The former Western Bulldog has been instrumental in the Hawks' wins over Carlton and West Coast in the past two matches, standing tall in the face of a barrage of opposition forward line entries.
This weekend he faces another large task against the Brisbane Lions, where he's likely to square off against long-time foe Jonathan Brown.
Solid and dependable, if not necessarily a vote-winner, in his early games in brown and gold, Lake says his standout performances in the past fortnight have coincided with the Hawthorn system seeping deeper into his mind.
"They've got a lot of different structures in the backline here," Lake told AFL.com.au this week.
"It's about helping each other out a fair bit more, which probably hasn't come naturally to me.
"I've been mostly focused on beating my opponent a fair bit of the time in the past, so it's taken a little while to adjust.
"At 31, I'm still learning some new tricks."
And just as Lake is embracing a new way of defending, his new club's fans are embracing him.
That much was obvious when the dual All Australian chased down and tackled Josh Kennedy during the second quarter last Friday night.
The Eagles forward was storming into an open goal when a diving Lake grabbed his jumper and forced an error.
Hawks supporters, clumped together in the forward pocket right where the chase took place, stood as one and cheered.
"When you get a big roar like that, it does give you goosebumps," Lake said.
"I'm certainly very proud to be pulling on the Hawthorn guernsey."
Lake credited his well-documented weight loss – he is playing 5kg lighter this season – with helping him catch the West Coast spearhead.
The return of that burst speed – a hallmark of his game over many seasons – has been one of many benefits of an injury-free summer (his NAB Cup calf strain aside).
Cut down by problems with his body towards the end of his time at the Bulldogs, he is now feeling fit and playing free of pain for the first time in years.
"I was joking with some of the doctors before the last game about some of the treatments I used to have pre-game, which I haven't had at all this year," he said.
"It was high doses of anti-inflammatories and painkillers and stuff like that, just to get me up.
"To be going into round 14 with the way my body's feeling, it has been a long time since that's happened."
Fellow defender Ben Stratton has been impressed with Lake's eagerness to get up to speed with Hawthorn's system.
He, too, has noticed his new teammate's upsurge in confidence in recent outings, and the developing love from the club's supporters.
"He's a quiet, pretty humble guy," Stratton said.
"He's just slipped in and tried to learn as much as he can from the other backs.
"He's still learning the way we play; it's not perfect every time – we're all still learning.
"But he's slipped in very nicely and the last couple of weeks, he's been unbelievable.
"I think the Hawks fans are definitely starting to love him."
