HAWTHORN Captain Luke Hodge says the Grand Final won’t come into calculations as the Hawks prepare to take on the Swans at the MCG on Saturday night.

The Grand Final re-match is the final leg of Hawthorn’s challenging opening to the 2013 season, in which it has played each of last year’s finalists.

The Hawks have emerged from what was said to be a horror opening with five wins and one loss and in a great position as it heads into the mid part of the season.

Hodge says the playing group has enjoyed the challenge of opening its 2013 campaign against the competition’s best.

“You always look forward to playing the best sides and our first seven games have been very challenging and this is no different,” he told hawthornfc.com.au

“They’re a quality side so it’s going to be a really good game Saturday night.”

The Swans are ranked number one in the competition for contested possessions, it is their biggest strength, their willingness to get their hands dirty and win the hard ball.

Hodge says the Grand Final won’t be spoken about heading into the match, instead the players will be focused on beating Sydney at their own game, by winning the contested ball.

He says that isn’t their only strength though, given it can bring the football forward in a number of different ways.

“That’s in the past, this game is in the now,” he says of the Grand Final.

“Now we need to win the contested footy to win the game, that’s what it’ll come down to.

“It’ll also come down to how well we use the ball going forward as well.

“Sydney bring the ball into the 50 in a range of different ways, whether it’s their slingshot from down back or kicking it forward to their big forwards.

“We’ll be ready for all kinds of entries.”

Both Sydney and Hawthorn have strong midfields, but that Hawks captain believes what makes Sydney’s stand out is the fact it possesses a number of weapons.

Josh Kennedy, Kieran Jack, Ryan O’Keefe, Adam Goodes – the list goes on.

He says the Hawks won’t target one player in particular, but rather aim to shut down their ability to move the ball quickly.

“The reason why they are a good side is because they’ve got a number of guys who can change a game,” Hodge said.

“To beat Sydney, you can’t just shut down one or two blokes, you’ve got to shut down the way they play and the way they move the ball.”