Hawthorn defender Josh Gibson says it would be disrespectful to Port Adelaide for the Hawks to start speculating about an AFL preliminary final against Geelong.
The Hawks secured their preliminary final berth with an outstanding 54-point win over reigning premiers Sydney last Friday night in a qualifying final.
Hawthorn now have the week off before playing the winner of Friday night’s sudden-death semi-final between the Cats and Power at the MCG.
There will be plenty of anticipation about the Hawks facing arch rivals Geelong for a grand final spot.
The Cats have an 11-game winning streak over Hawthorn.
But Gibson said he would have an open mind about their preliminary final opponent, pointing to the three upset results over the weekend.
Port’s fairytale season continued with the elimination final triumph over Collingwood, while Fremantle stunned Geelong at Simonds Stadium.
“We’ve seen (last) weekend, if anyone did their tips, I don’t think many people would have got four out of four,” Gibson said.
“I will be watching that game just as a pure footy fan.
“It would be disrespectful to Port Adelaide if we were sitting here starting to prepare for Geelong now.
“Both those sides have had fantastic years and on the weekend, Port Adelaide played some really good football and away from home.”
Gibson singled out Carlton’s elimination final boilover against Richmond as an indication of how tight it is this September.
The Blues finished ninth and gained a finals berth because of Essendon’s AFL punishment, while Richmond were fifth and widely-tipped to win on Sunday.
“The top half of the competition this year was really even and if you don’t respect sides and don’t come to play, you can get beaten by anyone whether it’s home or away,” Gibson said.
“We saw some of that on the weekend.”
Gibson said he felt fresher than this time last year, when the Hawks were nearly upset in the preliminary final against Adelaide.
A week later, Sydney beat Hawthorn in an epic grand final.
“This year is different … the big thing for us this year is probably getting more wins on the board earlier in the season,” he said.
“It allowed us just to manage our loads a little bit better.
“We’ve probably been able to go into a finals campaign this year not as worn out.
“I know individually, my body feels a little bit fresher this year.”
Hawthorn will regain star forward Lance Franklin from suspension for the preliminary final and Cyril Rioli should resume from an ankle injury.