HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson can bank on his experience when his side runs out on the MCG tomorrow, according to former assistant Adam Simpson.
"I think Hawthorn are in a pretty reasonable routine now, playing in three Grand Finals in row and on the back of what happened in 2008," Simpson told AFL.com.au.
"What the club does really well is manage everything outside the playing group so it's just a really smooth transition.”
Twelve months ago Simpson was inside the Hawks’ camp preparing for a Grand Final against Fremantle.
The West Coast coach spent four years as an assistant under Clarkson and was involved in Grand Finals in 2012 and 2013. He knows exactly what preparation has been like at Waverley this week.
"It's just business as usual but you also recognise there are things that are different.
"The leaders at Hawthorn really take an active role in settling the group down as well as the coaches. They're all experienced now and they're in that really fortunate groove where nothing will surprise them in terms of preparation this week."
Only three players named in the Hawthorn 22 have not played in a Grand Final - Will Langford, Matt Spangher and Taylor Duryea. Matt Suckling and Ben McEvoy are yet to be on the winning team for a decider.
Simpson said he felt the two-time premiership coach would keep the message simple for his players.
“There are two sides to the pre-game motivation every week," Simpson said.
"Do you try and reinvent the wheel and motivate or do you keep it really simple and focused and relaxed?
"I've seen Clarko get the best out of players doing both. It's hard to predict what he's going to do but I would assume it's just 'take a deep breath and let's get the job done'."
Simpson was not surprised that Cyril Rioli was picked to play despite limited preparation.
"He's just too good not to play," Simpson said.
"Obviously they had a plan and the plan wasn't for him to get best on ground last week (in the VFL Grand Final). The plan was for him to get through a game and not get injured.
"I reckon it went exactly according to plan. It was pretty brave, in a preliminary final not to play Rioli, who could've played as the sub, to give him an extra 50-60 minutes of playing time in the Grand Final in the VFL. Unfortunately Box Hill didn’t win, but I think from a Hawthorn point of view they would've got what they wanted."
Simpson believes the team that capitalises on their opportunities best will be triumphant on Saturday.
"With the finals, it's more about who can carry the momentum and make the most of their opportunities when they get that momentum," Simpson said.
"It seems to me that a team has a little window of opportunity and sometimes you can kick four or five goals in a row, sometimes you can kick 1.4, and sometimes that window is for two or three minutes, sometimes it's for 10 or 15 minutes.
“Who can make the most of their opportunities with the momentum and who can stop the momentum is what I will be looking at tomorrow."
