WITH three grand final appearances under his belt, Dunsborough boy Ben Stratton admits it has not gotten any easier.
Stratton will play for Hawthorn on Saturday against the Sydney Swans.
He said the first grand final in 2012 was great because there was he felt such buzz.
After losing against Sydney, the 2013 final was about determination to win no matter.
“Losing in 2012 was huge driving factor for us against Fremantle,” he said.
“We always have a chat after the game but when we cross the line before hand we are enemies for the next three hours.”
- Ben Stratton
This time around, it will be about keeping his daily routine in check in the lead up to Saturday.
“It will be hard with everyone wanting to talk to us, the grand final parade and training sessions with thousands of people watching,” he said.
Stratton said it was a nerve wracking last few minutes in the preliminary against Port Adelaide last week where they won by three points to secure their grand final spot.
“We thought we had it in the last quarter but they came back very strong,” he said.
In the last three years Hawthorn has won each preliminary final by under a goal.
The nerves have left Stratton and he said he felt 100 per cent for the big game.
Stratton played for Augusta Margaret River Hawks before moving onto to play for East Perth in his youth.
He was then drafted to Hawthorn in 2010.
Fellow South West footballer Lewis Jetta will be on the opposing side of Stratton, which he said would be an exciting challenge.
“I used to play against Lewis in the South West Football League and the WA Football League,” he said.
“We always have a chat after the game but when we cross the line before hand we are enemies for the next three hours.”
As a defender Stratton said he would look at a few key players in preparation to the grand final.
“The beauty about our (Hawthorn’s) back line is we are not locked into one player for the whole match,” he said.
He said he expected to take a few of Sydney’s smaller players on the day.
When Hawthorn played the 2013 grand final they had full forward Lance Franklin on their side, this year he will play for the opposition.
However, Stratton said they would not pay particular attention to Franklin but the team as a whole.
“We will look at how to beat the team not the individuals,” he said.
"I'm expecting both teams to be aggressive, if one holds back they could miss out."
