Hawthorn want to host each Victorian AFL team in Tasmania once every four and a half years.

Speaking before Saturday's Aurora Stadium game against St Kilda, Hawks president Jeff Kennett again strongly defended the scheduling of the game in Tasmania, rather than in Melbourne.

Kennett attacked the league last month after AFL officials said it was a mistake not to play the game in Melbourne, where the crowd would have been much larger.

"I keep trying to remind the AFL that the community of Tasmania ... are more focussed on AFL football, are more committed to the code than any population in Australia," Kennett said.

"The community of Tasmania deserve to have access to all Victorian teams once every four and a half years.

"If the AFL is only going to give us two Victorian teams a year (at Launceston), that means every team ... can play down here once every four and a half years.

"I don't think that's a big ask of the AFL."

Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett was among the guests at the Hawthorn pre-match lunch where Kennett spoke.

Currently, the league does not schedule the biggest-drawing Victorian teams, such as Carlton and Collingwood, to play in Launceston.

The ground capacity at Aurora Stadium is around 20,000.

"If today there is a financial cost because we're playing here, that's a cost we the code, the clubs, have to bear it," Kennett said.

"We've asked in the past for Collingwood and Carlton and will continue to ask - there is an issue of principle here."

He added the Hawks were in the midst of long-term planning up to 2020 and that included ongoing matches in Tasmania.

"I can assure you, Tasmania is part of it," Kennett said.

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