PORT Adelaide has been one of the few teams to consistently trouble Hawthorn over the past few years.
Hawks defender Grant Birchall is aware Thursday night's clash at Adelaide Oval will be another big challenge.
The Power have come away victorious in three of their past four clashes against the three-time reigning premiers, with the sole loss an agonising three-point defeat in the 2014 preliminary final.
Birchall acknowledged the trouble Ken Hinkley's men had given the Hawks.
"They've probably had the wood over us, I guess, the last few times we've played them," he said.
"We know it's a hostile environment over in Adelaide and they're really going to take it to us and take the game on. We're going to have to change a few things and hopefully we can do that this week."
Port's ability to burst out of the blocks has Birchall wary. The Power booted eight first-quarter goals in round four last year before eventually winning by eight points, while their next meeting in round 21 saw Port enter the first break with a 14-point lead, before extending the margin to 22 at the final siren.
"They've really got off to some really good starts against us," he said.
"They've just won the midfield battle and they've played really aggressive footy, so we have to match them in that area."
Not allowing Port to kick a run of goals was an area Birchall identified as critical.
"(We need to) make sure we can stop their momentum, because once they get on a roll, they're pretty hard to stop," he said.
That ability proved crucial last Friday night against Richmond, when a seven-goal second quarter from Port effectively ended the contest.
Superstar forward Cyril Rioli is expected to return for the clash after missing in round 14 against the Gold Coast for his grandfather's funeral. The Hawks had a bye last week.
Despite fears Hawthorn's standard of play has slipped, it sits on top of the ladder with 11 wins, which Birchall said left the team optimistic, but aware that improvement was necessary.
"I think it's been pretty well documented that our contested ball numbers have been down, so we want to bump that up a little bit," he said.
"Our points against, and a few other little statistics, (are) where we want to improve and ramp up in the second half of the year."
The Hawks rank last in the competition for the difference in contested ball won compared to the opposition. Every other team in the top eight also ranks among the top eight for that statistic.
