HAWTHORN defender Josh Gibson says the emergence of the club’s younger players is pushing its senior stars to keep improving.

The Hawks are in the envious position of having a near full list to choose from for its opening round clash against Geelong on Easter Monday after it was confirmed Grant Birchall (knee) and Matt Spangher (calf) are in the selection mix.

The pair missed each of Hawthorn’s three pre-season matches but are ready to step in if selected in the Round 1 side on Thursday night.

The availability of the premiership duo adds to the selection headaches facing Coach Alastair Clarkson and the match committee, who’ll have some tough decisions to make.

Jonathan O’Rourke, Jed Anderson and Billy Hartung have impressed throughout the pre-season competition, while James Frawley will likely slot into defence.

Then there’s Alex Woodward and Angus Litherland who have had excellent pre-seasons and are awaiting an opportunity, while James Sicily, Daniel Howe and Teia Miles have also won praise for their efforts over the summer.

The returning Brendan Whitecross and 2013 premiership player Jonathan Simpkin are also waiting in the wings.

Gibson says the heat on for spots is critical in Hawthorn’s ability to improve on last year’s efforts.

“We’re always looking to evolve; we’re looking for those young guys to keep pushing up and really creating some tension around the list,” Gibson said.

“We’ve got probably about 35-36 guys who can play and when you’ve got those younger guys pushing, it just makes everyone that little bit hungrier.

“It keeps the older guys on their toes.”

As the Hawks prepare for its 2015 campaign and search for areas to improve, Gibson says it’s about playing consistently across four quarters.

Last year the Hawks started games slowly, winning just 13 of 22 first quarters throughout the home-and-away season, while the second (15/22) and third (16/22) terms were their most successful. 

“Our consistency – we want to try and play four quarters every week,” Gibson said of where the Hawks can improve.

“It’s a very hard thing to do and I know it’s a bit of a cliché but if we can keep our consistency and play the Hawks way, hopefully the scoreboard looks after itself and we end up with more wins than losses.”