Gibson was the first man to change clubs at this year's trade week and says his former teammates had been understanding of his move.
"It was a little bit tough but I've got a lot of friends there and the players were fantastic about it. I still speak to them regularly and they understand my decision," Gibson said.
"I was overseas so it was a little difficult from that side of things. It wasn't too tough, it was pretty alright in the end."
Gibson was a Hawthorn supporter as a child and said a move to the brown and gold was a logical choice for a team crying out for a tall defender.
"At the end of the year Hawthorn made an offer to myself and my management. After reviewing it pretty closely we thought it would be a good match and they wanted a defender and I thought I could help them out and get the best out of myself here," he said.
"Barracking for Hawthorn as a kid was a little added bonus, but at the end of the day I thought it was going to be best for me and helping out the Hawthorn footy club."
Gibson admitted it would be strange playing against North Melbourne but said he was planning to treat it like any other game when he comes up against the Kangaroos in 2010.
"It's going to be really interesting. North Melbourne gave me a start and I'm very grateful for that," he said.
"I've got a lot of friends there but I'm really excited to be with Hawthorn and I'll be treating them like I'm playing any of the other 14 teams."
