HAWTHORN defender Ben Stratton says he's a certain starter for Friday week's mouthwatering qualifying final against Geelong after overcoming a small tear to his left pectoral.
The important backman was pushing to return against Collingwood on Sunday but the Hawks played it safe and kept him on ice for a third-straight game.
However, Stratton has declared he will be back to tackle the Cats.
"Hopefully I'll be able to do some 18-on-18 or whatever we do next weekend (over the bye) just to get the boys going for the final and then I'm back for the first week of finals," Stratton told Triple M.
The Hawks locked up their sixth-consecutive top-four finish with the nail-biting one-point win over the Pies and have plenty of practice at handling a weekend off in September.
"I think we'll do some sort of match simulation, whether it's 18-on-18 or a shorter version, just to keep the legs ticking over," Stratton said.
"You can come off the bye a bit flat sometimes, and you want to keep things rolling fairly smoothly."
Stratton's inclusion will be a huge boost to the Hawks' defence, which has appeared vulnerable in the air in recent weeks and will have to combat Geelong's powerhouse big man Tom Hawkins.
It will be the fifth final between the arch-enemies since 2008, with Hawthorn holding a 3-1 edge.
Knocking over the Cats would be a major hurdle cleared in the Hawks' bid for a record-equalling fourth-straight flag.
The Hawks are entering September with a significantly younger team than in previous seasons, but Stratton said youth was driving the hungry squad towards another premiership.
"Especially going down to Melbourne and then losing against West Coast … that hunger's definitely there," Stratton said.
"Watching the new guys come through … those younger boys coming through are definitely pushing the older boys along and getting them pretty pumped."
Meanwhile, Stratton backed assistant coach Brett Ratten to step back into a senior position, with the former Carlton mentor strongly linked to the Brisbane Lions' coaching job.
Ratten has looked after stoppages and the forward line at the Hawks since he was sacked by the Blues at the end of 2012.
"Ratts as a person firstly is second to none. He has such a good nature and he gets around the boys like no other like he's just one of the players," Stratton said.
"Especially what he's gone through this year, seeing him come through the other side and just stick to his task, he's really resilient.
"I'd love to see him go on, if that's what he wanted to do, and coach at a senior level again.
"I think he's definitely up for it, he's got that hunger, but having said that I'd be happy to have him as an assistant any day in the years going forward."
