Ticket sales expected to soar for Hawthorn clash against Brisbane Lions

Hawthorn's Tasmanian state manager David Cox said the beginning of the season usually draws the largest crowds after people had been "starved" of football over the summer off-season.

"We don't often have this strong an interest in a game towards the end of the season," Mr Cox said.

"But considering Brisbane's position on the ladder and Hawthorne's recent run of form and our win against the ladder leaders [Geelong] last week, there's renewed interest in this game. And so ticket sales are strong."

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Mr Cox said the game would be a critical one for both teams, with Brisbane desperate to retain its position heading into the finals and Hawthorn hoping to climb into striking distance with only five fixtures remaining.

"A win would definitely help us," he said. "And then when you add the Luke Hodge factor and Chris Fagan factor - both ex-Hawthorn people - it adds an additional element of drama into the game as old friends and now on field foes. It should be a cracker of a game."

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"I would say people need to buy their tickets early because ... we are expecting a strong turn-up on the day in terms of people buying tickets on the gate. We always encourage people to buy their tickets beforehand."

On Wednesday, stadium manager Robert Groenewegen said they were hoping for a crowd of between 13,000 and 15,000 for the round 19 clash.

The fixture will be one of the last football games of the season played at the stadium, set to undergo resurfacing works.

The game will begin at 1.45pm. Tickets available through Ticketmaster.

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