HAWTHORN great Peter Knights is urging the Hawks' players to block Ryan Crowley's path whenever possible in Saturday's grand final.

Fremantle's Crowley has shut down Geelong star Steve Johnson and Sydney Swans onballer Kieren Jack so far in the finals series and could be set for a run-with role against Hawthorn's Sam Mitchell at the MCG on Saturday.

Mitchell was a match-winner with 38 disposals in last week's preliminary final against Geelong and Fremantle coach Ross Lyon is considering assigning his gun tagger to do a blanket job on the Hawks' playmaker.

"Certainly one of the first things you do is that you back your ability," Knights said on Thursday as an on-stage guest at Hawthorn's final training session at Waverley Park.

"Whoever Crowley matches up with ... any day of the week they'll rely on their ability, their speed, their skills, to get the ball first.

"The second thing is you have your mates helping you out. Just at that critical time with a legal shepherd, a legal bump.

"I'm sure our boys want to be protecting one another because the winner of this year's grand final will have a team-first philosophy, all helping one another out."

Former Hawthorn coach Knights is confident Alastair Clarkson's men can go one better than their runners-up finish in 2012.

Knights scoffed at suggestions Fremantle's defensive work-rate would force Hawthorn's skilful movement of the ball to fall away.

The triple-premiership player argues it will be the Dockers who drop off as Hawthorn's ball-winning ability wears down the visiting side who are playing in their first grand final.

The Hawks are aiming for their 11th flag and first since 2008. Knights says confronting a high-powered defensive unit is nothing new for Hawthorn.

"Our DNA has always been defensive pressure," Hawthorn's team-of-the-century member Knights said.

"It has always been our attack on the ball, our ability to go and help our teammates.

"We've always survived that fierce kind of pressure. That's what you need to get to the grand final.

"So we'll accept that. But I'm really confident we can break them open as the day goes on."

Knights, whose first grand-final experience was a losing one in 1975 against North Melbourne, says the pain doesn't go away.

"The first thing is we've tasted defeat," he said.

"More than anything, we'll have that steely resolve ... to really make sure that we go all the way this Saturday."