HAWTHORN has planned for every contingency to counter the Sydney Swans' powerful forward line, with Brian Lake's return from injury a boost for the Hawks' defensive rotations, coach Alastair Clarkson says.
Lake is one of three key inclusions for the Grand Final rematch on Saturday night, with vice-captain Jordan Lewis (suspension) and Isaac Smith (illness) squeezing back into the side which belted Melbourne by 105 points last round.
Clarkson said Lake's return after four weeks out due to a medial strain was particularly timely.
"He's a guy that can perhaps match it with the size of (Kurt) Tippett and (Lance) Franklin in their front half," he said.
"That's obviously a formidable part of the Sydney game, their potency up forward. It's timely with Lake coming in that we've got three guys that can play on those type of players up forward for them. So, yeah, that's handy for us.
Lake's return, coupled with James Frawley's comeback last Saturday from a torn pectoral, means the Hawks will have their preferred key backline combination – including Josh Gibson – together for the first time since round two.
"They just need to build some chemistry amongst them and that only comes with time. We're pleased they give us a lot more flexibility in our back half," Clarkson said.
The coach was guarded when quizzed on who would pick up Franklin, who was one of the Swans' few shining lights with four goals in last year's 63-point Grand Final loss.
"It will all depend on where Franklin plays and how they structure up; whether (Adam) Goodes plays up forward or whether he plays on a wing. We'll assess that," Clarkson said.
"We've got a whole heap of contingencies that we'll put in place in terms of preferences, but nothing is around just locking down on one bloke in particular."
Franklin is the Swans' leading goalkicker with 20 majors, ahead of Tippett (12) and a host of midfielders led by Luke Parker (nine), who bagged a career-best five goals in the win over Geelong.
The Hawks' midfield dominated last year's Grand Final, with Swans star Dan Hannebery in particular feeling the brunt of a physical barrage, and Clarkson expected another fierce contest to win the "supply game" on Saturday night.
"Sydney came out really hard last year in the Grand Final too, make no mistake about that," he said.
"The first 15 minutes of the game was a torrid affair and it was two goals each. So it was a very, very physical game – as every game is when you play Sydney.
"So if you don't step up and match them in that area you're going to find yourself wanting. So we need to be really physical at the start of the game and no doubt they'll be exactly the same."
At 4-3, the Hawks are searching for consecutive wins for the first time this year, and a loss on Saturday night would see them slip two games behind the Swans (5-2).
But Clarkson denied there was more than four points at stake, given their opponents and the Hawks' up-and-down start to the year.
"It's not going to define our season if we lose, we just need to work harder in the latter part of the year to get our wins to get ourselves into the top four like we always aim to do," he said.
"We’d like to think after some up and down form in the first seven rounds of the season that we'll get on a bit of a roll and win some games on the trot."
