Wins over Adelaide and Collingwood have been achieved thanks to some of their less experienced types, with Rising Star duo Ryan Burton and Blake Hardwick, Daniel Howe, James Sicily, Kaiden Brand and Tim O’Brien all making key contributions.

Gunston said this had added an extra layer of confidence to the group as a whole as they prepare to return to Launceston to host ladder-leaders Greater Western Sydney.

“That confidence was a little bit low at times, but we are building that now which you can see in our younger kids,’’ the 25-year-old told Fairfax Media on Tuesday.

“They are all getting big jobs on the weekend and are doing it well, which is lifting the older guys, as the Hodges and the Rougheads now don’t have to do it all themselves.

“We’ve had these younger guys in the system for a while now, and I’ve always been a firm believer that it takes 20-40 games to really establish yourself at the AFL level and feel comfortable.”

The return of four-time flag winner Grant Birchall has also played a key role in the revival. 

“Having Grant down there really helps, as he is such a quality player and his rebound off the backline and his ball use is something that we have missed,’’ Gunston said.

“A lot of your attacking prowess does come from defending first and setting up properly behind the ball and being ready for teams that do counterattack.

“Football now is a big turnover game and teams are scoring a lot from turnovers, so it is a matter of being able to switch from attack to defence to defence to attack quickly.”

The 6-8 Hawks are keen to returning UTas Stadium to its former status as a fortress for the brown and gold, starting with the major scalp of the Giants.

“Anytime you are coming up against a team that is above you, you want to go out and play some good footy, and any advantage we can get, we will take,’’ Gunston said.

“Our approach won’t change and we will just go in worrying about what we can control and playing our brand of footy.

“The Giants play some good attacking footy and are a quality side defensively, and it is going to be a big ask, but if we can play a strong defensive-brand and attacking footy, we can match them.”

Saturday will be the 150^th outing for Isaac Smith, a teammate Gunston said was vitally important due to his outside run.

“Whether its with the ball or without it, he does a lot of important running for us that opens up space for other people. Hopefully we can get a win for him.”

Saturday’s match, the club’s Pink Ribbon Game for the Cancer Council, will start at 1.45pm.