HAWTHORN'S no-risk approach to player management is set to reward defender Brent Guerra with a berth in next weekend's Grand Final.
Guerra missed last year's Grand Final after tearing his hamstring the week before the finals and he was sorely missed in the cut and thrust of a game that was only decided in the last minute.
This time around he is raring to go, having played just 17 of 24 matches to date and being rested by the Hawks at even the slightest suggestion of a niggle.
"We didn’t want to go through what we did last year. So I rested the body and now I feel like it has helped me play more consistent footy," Guerra said at Waverley Park on Saturday morning.
He suffered a corked thigh during Friday night's preliminary final, but said he had pulled up fine on Saturday morning.
"It’s a great feeling after missing out last year."
The 31-year-old was rested as recently as the round 23 clash with the Swans, and Guerra was happy to go along with the strategy, knowing there were finals to play and with the memories of his disastrous finals series still vivid.
Guerra mounted a bid to play in the Grand Final last year, but withdrew himself from consideration the Tuesday before the game, knowing he wouldn’t be right.
"I was probably a week or two away, but I put my hand up because I knew I was no good."
"That’s what you play football for, to play in a Grand Finals and to win premierships, so it was definitely tough," he said.
"The Thursday before when there were 8000 people out here at training, that was the toughest part of the week but its great to have the opportunity this year."
Guerra knows that Saturday's Grand Final might be his last for the club. "I'm 31, no Dustin Fletcher, but you get to that age and I've just been playing these last three or four games like they're my last.
"I'll just get through next week and we'll see what happens next year."
Guerra said the Hawks backed themselves to finish strongly against Geelong on Friday night.
The Cats are the third-quarter specialists, but the Hawks finish games better than any team in the competition and so it proved as they kicked the final three goals of the game to secure a famous win.
"The feeling after last night was fantastic, but will be even better if we win next week.
"You don’t want to have to go through that (losing the Grand Final) two years in a row. I wasn’t playing, but to see the boys that night, we don’t want to have that feeling again," he said.
