MOST players will tell you it’s not easy to front up against your old team for the first time, but Stuart Dew cleared that hurdle with apparent ease in Launceston on Saturday.

The 2004 premiership player lined up against Port Adelaide for the first time since he came out of retirement to join the Hawks and he admitted it was a relief to get it out of the way.

“I was a little bit nervous last night, but woke up this morning feeling not too bad,” Dew said shortly after the hard-fought 15-point win during which he contributed 21 quality possessions.

“It was different to see a few familiar faces playing for the other side out there, but it was pretty enjoyable to get the win.

“It was a pretty low-key build up, to be honest, in terms of the reference to it being my first game against my old team. These days the four points is a lot more important than one bloke so I thought it was a good preparation from all the boys.

“It is good to win the first one against your old team though, I think. I spoke to a couple of players who left clubs and then played against them and it’s always good just to get that first one out of the way.

“It really sort of hit me at the airport. We landed and they got in not long after and I was looking on from the outside. That was a bit of a shock, but it was business as usual once the game started.”

After missing four games with a hamstring injury and sitting idle during the Hall of Fame week, Dew admitted he was just dying to get out and play a game of footy, and the fact that it was against the club he spent 10 seasons with became almost secondary.

There was, of course, a bit of friendly banter between himself and a few of his old mates, especially after the Power shot out to a healthy early lead.

“We started poorly. Our turnovers were costing us big time,” he said.

“But it was awesome from the group for them to know that they can come back against a real quality side and have a win like that.

“We came in at quarter time and we weren’t too flustered. We were obviously disappointed to be five goals down, but the quality of the group and the composure meant that we could say, ‘Hang on boys, they’re five goals up but it’s probably not so much their play, it’s more our poor play’.

“That’s where the belief comes in that we can turn it around and then the result comes.”

The Hawks’ eighth win from eight starts continues their stellar start to the season with Dew confident the players are capable of striking a balance between belief in their own abilities and a healthy respect for the opposition.

“It’s a fine line. You’ve got to keep that belief and confidence, but you don’t want to tip over the edge and become over-confident,” he said.

“I think we’re managing it really well. We’ve got good processes in place, we assess the game well and then we move on.”