HEAD fitness coach Andrew Russell has warned clubs looking to dethrone Hawthorn in 2009 that the side is yet to reach its physical peak.

It's been just nine weeks since the Hawks beat the Cats in the grand final – its first premiership in 17 years – and the squad started preparing for its defence on November 19.

"There’s so much improvement to come from the players at this club," Russell said.

"We haven’t reached a peak. Certainly within the club we don’t feel like we’ve reached the level we want to attain.

"We had guys in the grand final side that have been in our system less than four years so it’s really exciting from our point-of-view that we have that much improvement still in the group."

It's an ominous thought for opposition sides that the Hawks plan to get better, however, Russell insisted that the prospect of improving physically won't ensure another tilt at the flag.

"There’s no guarantee that that (improvement) equals continued success but it certainly gives us a real chance of sustained success if the players choose to continue to train in the way they have," he said.

What it will do is complement the psychological readiness of the group to play deep into September, particularly the younger players who can bridge the gap between their physical capabilities and the on-field experiences this season provided.

"The psychology of it is very important," he said. "You need to forget about results and concentrate on continual improvement day to day.

"That’s what you need to focus on."

Hunger to succeed is central to those aspirations and Russell recognises its importance.

"Everything that I know about the players and that I’ve seen so far suggests that they’ll be able to do that (have the hunger) but time will tell whether that’s correct or not," he said.