The former Hawk is already taking it up to his likely opponent, Hawks superstar forward Lance Franklin, via text message.
Hawthorn forward Michael Osborne said Franklin, who missed the side’s 75-point demolition of Brisbane Lions in Launceston on the weekend with a sprained ankle, would be right to go for the matchup with former teammate Dawson.
“I think Zac’s already been texting Buddy and letting him know he’s waiting for him, so that’ll be good. Hopefully he can get back on top of Zac this weekend,” Osborne said at Waverley Park on Monday morning.
“I’m pretty sure Buddy will be alright - he doesn’t go too well, emotionally, over the weekend when he’s not playing, so he’ll be up and about this weekend.
“He just mopes around a bit - lets the boys know and probably gets on their nerves a bit, because he doesn’t have to concentrate on footy so much.
“He’s already in here this morning and looking forward to the weekend.”
The Saints have a good record against the Hawks, winning seven of the last nine clashes between the sides. St Kilda slid to third on the ladder after being comprehensively thumped by Collingwood on Saturday, with the Magpies snaring top spot after Geelong lost to Adelaide on Friday night.
Osborne said the Saints were always dangerous, irrespective of the result from the previous weekend.
“They’re probably going to be very motivated this weekend, coming off that loss," he said.
“They’re a dangerous side either way. When they are winning, they’re up and about and they’ve got confidence when they are winning, so it’s going to be a tough game for us.
“It’s going to be a big game - St Kilda have been really good over the past couple of years, probably one of the benchmark teams, and they’ll be focusing on finals and performing well there.
“It’s going to be a big hitout, and we’ll be trying our best - we’re looking forward to it.”
