Hawthorn's Chance Bateman will this weekend achieve a goal more than eight years in the making, becoming the first Aborigine to play 100 AFL games for the Hawks.

Bateman was only the second indigenous player to wear the brown and gold in a senior VFL/AFL game when he made his debut in 2000 and will on Sunday play his 100th game, against Adelaide in Launceston, potentially alongside three Aboriginal teammates.

"To be the first indigenous player to get it at Hawthorn is a bit of an honour, so I'm pretty excited and looking forward to it," Bateman said.

"My family's pretty excited and happy for me, so hopefully they'll be there for the game.

"When I first came to the club (in 1999) I was aware that no indigenous player had reached the milestone at Hawthorn.

"So I was aware of it and set it as a goal.

"It's taken a bit longer than I would have hoped, just with some injury and personal troubles along the way, but it's good to get there."

Bateman was 18 when drafted from his native Western Australia and felt a longing to return home early in his career, following the death of his sister Candy in 2001.

"When I was back home for my sister's funeral I spent three or four weeks there and during that time I thought I wanted to be back home, close to family and friends, and I asked to be traded to West Coast or Freo," he said.

"But nothing came of it, and when that happened I thought I'd get back to Melbourne, get back into it and now I just want to be a one-club player."

Cyril Collard (13 games) was the first indigenous player to represent Hawthorn, in the 1950s, but Sunday's side could be well-represented, with Lance Franklin, Cyril Rioli and Cameron Stokes.

But another indigenous teammate, Mark Williams, could be in strife this week after he was reported in Sunday's VFL game between the Box Hill Hawks and Tasmania Devils for urinating on the ground before the game.

"Oh, was he?" Bateman said when asked about that incident.

"I'll have to have a chat to him and see what happened."

Bateman believed the unbeaten Hawks were a more mature side than this time last year, following impressive wins over Fremantle and North Melbourne the past two weeks.

"To go over and beat Freo in a pretty tight battle after being challenged after three-quarter time was a fair effort and has shown we've come a fair way," he said.

"And then again to come from behind against such a good side in the Roos has showed again we are maturing as a side."

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