The bad memories from Hawthorn’s AFL grand final loss two years ago mean Sam Mitchell takes nothing out of what they have done this season.

The reigning premiers have impressed with their resilience this year to reach another grand final against Sydney.

Coach Alastair Clarkson was sidelined for more than a month with a serious illness and Mitchell was among several key players who were injured for big chunks of the season.

Mitchell is a two-time premiership player in 2008 and 2013, but it’s the memory of losing the epic 2012 grand final to the Swans that is foremost on his mind.

“There’s not much that’s special about this moment, because you’re on the precipice of something very, very good or something that’s not much,” he said.

“Losing a grand final, I’ve been there as well and it’s not something you spend too much time trying to think about.

“It’s hard to get out of your head.”

Mitchell suffered a hamstring injury against St Kilda in round seven and did not return until round 16.

It means he will play 16 games this year, his lowest season total since 2005.

But in the midst of their many problems, Mitchell said they never thought about whether they could win another flag.

“We weren’t really in a position – say Port Adelaide, who were two games clear on top, they could probably afford to look forward a little bit,” Mitchell said.

“Whereas we were sort of fighting tooth and nail for most of the season just to finish in the top four.

“We didn’t really think about silverware, in a sense, until we get to that top-four position.

“Then you take stock, grab your breath and say ‘alright, now it’s top four … we have to win three more games’.”

Certainly Mitchell narrowed his focus while he was out injured.

“I was looking at my next training session – I hope I can get through that, I hope I can just lift it a little bit more, run a little bit quicker,” Mitchell said.

“You’re always looking for whatever that next little challenge is.”

One of the keys to Hawthorn’s durability this year has been their amazing ability to cover for players when they are out injured.

It prompted a cheeky tweet from Mitchell when he first heard of Clarkson’s illness, using a quote that the coach loves.

“When I heard Clarko was sick and he was going to be out for a while, the first text I sent him was ‘lose a soldier, replace him with another one’,” Mitchell said.