Hawks vow same approach

Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell believes the Hawks will take the same fanatical attitude that carried them to premiership success in 2008 into next year, vowing the club will not suffer from the dreaded premiership hangover.

The Hawks, who caused one of the biggest boilovers in recent AFL history by beating a Geelong side that had won 42 of its past 44 games coming into this year's premiership decider, began their pre-season training campaign for 2009 on Wednesday.

And as the club becomes used to carrying around the tag of 'reigning premier' and begins life without retired former skipper and Brownlow Medallist Shane Crawford, Mitchell is vowing the club will not lose its hunger for the contest as a result of reaching the mountain top this season.

The Hawks have developed a reputation for playing 'unsociable' football and the club's fanatical approach in a season in which the club suffered numerous suspensions at the AFL tribunal was a major reason behind the club's 10th premiership success.

But Mitchell said on Wednesday the Hawks will remain the hunters in 2009 and not fall for the trap of believing they would now be the hunted team for every other AFL club.

"If we have that attitude that we are the hunted we will get beaten a fair bit (next year)," Mitchell said at Waverley Park, after the club had completed its first training session of its first pre-season as the 2008 premiers.

"We are still going after the opposition, it's a trait we have worked on very hard in recent years and we are going to continue to do so."

Mitchell said no-one at Waverley Park was satisfied with winning just one flag as the Hawks strive to become the competition's No.1 club both on and off the field by winning more flags and hitting 50,000 members in coming years.

"If you know the people around our footy club from (president) Jeff (Kennett) to Ian Robson our CEO to Mark Evans our footy manager and also (coach) Alastair Clarkson and any of the senior players then you know we are not the sort of people who will think what we have done already is okay and enough."

"If it was we wouldn't be here (training) and to back up a huge season is very important and a lot of teams win just one premiership and then perhaps don't win another one in their window (of opportunity)."

"But we would like to think our window is still wide open and we have got a lot of improvement to come."

While the Hawks no longer have Crawford and with fellow veteran Trent Croad likely to miss the start of the season with the serious foot injury he sustained in the grand final, Mitchell says the club has no shortage of eager youngsters ready to step into this year's premiership-winning 22.

In particular, he nominated grand final hard luck stories Tom Murphy and Simon Taylor, promoted rookie Cameron Stokes, promising key position pair Beau Dowler and Mitch Thorp and returning knee victims Beau Muston and Max Bailey as players capable of forcing their way into the Hawks' best line-up next year.

"There are 21 blokes that are coming back as premiership players but the other guys (on the list) have got that burning desire and you can get passed very quickly on this list," Mitchell said.

"We have got a very good group of 30 to 35 players that could have played on that last Saturday in September so if you are resting on your laurels and thinking you are going okay because you played in it (the premiership team) last season you will be probably be passed pretty quickly by someone that didn't."