Hawthorn's coaching staff hope the lure of a possible home final provides sufficient motivation to play at a finals-type intensity in Saturday's clash with a depleted Fremantle.

Dockers coach Mark Harvey has turned up his nose at the thought of taking star players like Matthew Pavlich to Launceston's Aurora Stadium for Saturday's round-21 game, preferring to rest the skipper and six other players because of general soreness.

Ruckman Aaron Sandilands has been given a third week to get over a foot injury, leaving the Dockers at long odds with the bookies to score an upset win in Tasmania.

Sixth-placed Fremantle are putting all their eggs in one basket, hoping to swoop on a home final with a win over Carlton next Friday night at Subiaco.

Eighth-placed Hawthorn can confirm a September role with a win over Fremantle and are still a chance to grab sixth place and a home final.

"It (a home final) is an enormous incentive to win," Hawthorn assistant coach Ross Smith told reporters at Melbourne airport on Friday.

"There's two interstate sides (Fremantle and Sydney) in that bottom four of the eight at the moment.

"We're not even confirmed in the eight yet. We need to get another win under our belts.

"With Freo this week and Collingwood next week, we want to try to obviously win this week and make sure we secure our finals spot, but it'd be nice to get a home final as well."

Asked if Fremantle's selection strategy had raised eyebrows in the Hawthorn camp, Smith said: "Probably a little bit, yeah.

"St Kilda did a similar thing last year (in round 19) and finished up beating us down there so we've got to be on our game still," Smith added.

"We understand (resting players) at this time of the year, there's been a few sides do that in the past."

Smith said last year's loss to the Saints had been a factor in Hawthorn's preparations this week.

"I wouldn't say we've stressed it. It has been mentioned during the week, what happened down there last year," Smith said.

"The players can get in a bit of a negative mindset sometimes when a team pulls seven players out.

"It's easy for players sometimes when there's a few players out to relax a little bit.

"It's our job to make sure that they're not relaxed and they still go out there and attack the game."

Smith said the Hawks needed to find the spark that allowed them to win eight of nine games after a 1-6 start.

"If we can play that brand of football, we know that we can beat anyone in the competition on our day."

Hawthorn regain Cyril Rioli from a two-game suspension for striking Port Adelaide's Paul Stewart and fellow small forward Rhan Hooper is being rested with hamstring soreness.

Smith said Rioli was an "enormously important" player who had been forced to explain his actions to his team-mates.

"It is a really good learning experience for Cyril," Smith said of the 21-year-old premiership player.

"The playing group ... they sort that stuff out, if players show any sort of undisciplined acts like being suspended like that."

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