PLAYING against friend and former teammate Matthew Suckling will be one of the highlights of playing the Western Bulldogs this Sunday at Etihad Stadium, says Hawk Isaac Smith.

Suckling went to the Dogs as a free agent on a three-year contract, after the Hawks beat West Coast in last year's decider.

Smith and Suckling share a long history. The pair is from New South Wales and played together in the juniors at the Wagga Tigers.

They won consecutive premierships in the under-18s, a feat they repeated at Hawthorn in 2014 and 2015.

Suckling missed out on the 2013 flag.

"I'm just looking forward to playing against one of my good mates," Smith said.

"I caught up with him the other night and have already been into him. It will be good fun.

"Once you cross that white line, he's just another Bulldog."