Hawthorn will take momentum and a fit playing list into Saturday's AFL elimination final against Fremantle.

Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson says the Hawks have been able to gather crucial confidence in the closing home and away games which will be vital for their finals campaign.

Importantly, it was topped off by a surprise win over ladder leaders Collingwood at the weekend.

"We were able to play really well against Collingwood on Saturday, which is probably on the back end of a couple of good victories against Melbourne and Fremantle," Clarkson said on Monday.

"But having said that, we were really poor two weeks prior to that against Sydney and Port Adelaide (in rounds 18 and 19) so we needed to do something in the last two or three weeks of our season to gather some momentum.

"We've won our last three games and we've got a pretty healthy list to select our side from for this week's game.

"We couldn't go into the finals campaign in better nick really."

Fremantle rested most of their leading players in round 21 and produced a B side which was thrashed by Hawthorn in Launceston and Clarkson is prepared to face a totally different make-up at Subiaco.

"It will be a bit different than a couple of weeks ago though, the game against Freo," he said.

"Obviously we played them at Launceston with a side that was far from their strongest side.

"It will be an interesting game but we won't take too much out of the previous times we've played them and look more at their form against Carlton last Friday night - which was pretty good.

"Obviously they've got a lot of their better players back in the side now so it will be a big challenge going to Perth, winning a game and coming back to Melbourne and hopefully getting a final back at the MCG."

Clarkson admitted Dockers ruckman Aaron Sandilands presented a problem but said they would not be over-awed.

"He's just a man-mountain. He's played the bulk of Fremantle's games this year and whilst he's been an outstanding contributor for them, they haven't won every one of those games that he's played.

"They can be beaten with him in the side and we've got 21 other blokes we've got to focus on as well," he said.

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