'I've definitely exceeded my own expectations' says Hawk who started at Giants

Hawthorn defender Sam Frost has had an array of experiences across his career and wants to share his knowledge with others.

Being a player development manager in footy or another sport remains a goal beyond his career.

"Having been traded a couple of times, I've played plenty of NEAFL and VFL footy and struggled with form at times and been in good form other times," he said.

"I think just the variety of natural challenges that come up for players through their career, I've experienced.

"From that point of view, I think that would make me relatable to young players coming through and being able to have good perspective on the challenges that they're inevitably going to go through from time to time."

While that's an ambition for the future, Frost wants to continue to get the most out of himself on the field as the Hawks build back towards finals.

The 30-year-old will be key to helping stop A-graders Toby Greene and Jesse Hogan when Hawthorn meets GWS this weekend.

The Haws host GWS at UTAS Stadium on Saturday at 1.45pm in their second clash at the venue this year.

The Giants are one of Frost's previous teams as the former Sandringham Dragon was taken at pick one by GWS in the 2012 rookie draft.

He arrived at an expansion club that was in its first year of existence in the AFL and went on to play 21 matches before being traded to Melbourne in 2014 (70 games) and then Hawthorn in 2019.

Given the Tasmania Devils are only about three years away from their first season, he was asked what it was like to be a player at a brand new club.

"It was definitely tough, I look back mostly with fond memories now but at the time, I experienced some homesickness," he said.

"And Sydney is a pretty big city, so it was tough getting to know the city and what was around and just the size of it in general was a bit intimidating.

"Integrating into the city and trying to find networks outside of the footy club for a bit of balance was tough.

"But the club did a really good job of supporting the players and making their families feel involved and having opportunities for the players to get home to their family or have their family visit. So they did a fantastic job.

"And I think one of the other challenges of GWS in particular was moving to a city that's not AFL dominant - obviously the new Tasmanian team won't have that issue.

"But that came with its own challenges as well in terms of fan engagement and getting crowds and that sort of thing."

There has been plenty of hype about the 12th-placed Haws this week after their impressive victories against Adelaide and Brisbane.

Forward Dylan Moore, who was taken late in the 2017 draft, has suddenly become the best-known Hawk following his five-goal and 27-disposal game.

And there's been talk about the "rascal pack" mentioned in coach Sam Mitchell's post-match press conference in reference to the players enjoying themselves appropriately at training and on-game day.

"I actually don't know exactly the names in that group that have been called that but we've got a lot of youth and a lot of excitement and energy at the club," Frost said.

"How they've behaved at the club and interacted with each other now being expressed on-field in goal celebrations - I think it's nice to actually have that displayed for the public to see as well because it's a pretty special thing that's been being built inside the club."

Mitchell said on Fox Footy earlier this week that the players were practising their goal celebrations at training in a sign of the upbeat mood in recent weeks.

"I'm usually not hanging around the goal-kicking too much," Frost said with laugh.

"But yeah you see the boys having a bit of a laugh and a bit of fun and carrying on a bit. But at the end of the day, they're there to work and they're competitive with their goal-kicking and we've got some work to do in some of those areas."

Frost is one of the Hawks' few veterans and has enjoyed guiding his younger teammates given he has had the experience of building up the ladder at three different clubs.

"I got there partway through essentially a rebuild at Melbourne and we're heading through one now at Hawthorn which I feel we're almost out the tougher part of," he said.

After being picked up in the rookie draft, Frost has gone on to do what most AFL footballers haven't and that is play more than 100 games.

He has played 171 matches and kicked nine goals.

He said at times he thinks missing out on the national draft was a blessing in disguise as he it gave him more time to develop away from the pressure of the AFL world.

The 194-centimetre defender said he'd still experienced plenty of challenges.

"To make it this far, I've definitely exceeded my own expectations of myself and with that said I'm very proud of what I've managed to achieve and looking forward to seeing how much I can squeeze in before the end of my career," he said.

Frost came from a sporting household that produced two AFL footballers, with his older brother Jack playing 54 games for Collingwood and two for Brisbane before retiring due to repeated concussions.

They played under-18s together at the Dragons before hitting the big time.

"There was probably a year or two there where we were both living at home with me playing for Melbourne and Jack at Collingwood and it's pretty amazing to think (that happened)," he said.

"There's a lot of special memories from that and getting to play against him a couple of times was great."

Frost said their parents had provided great support across their careers. His dad David played in the SANFL and coached the brothers at junior level.

"As we got older Dad had a really good balance of being supportive and being there for us if we wanted advice but not forcing it upon us," Frost said.

"So I'm really grateful for how he helped throughout our football careers, not getting too involved.

"And Mum also played a high level of netball so we were lucky to have parents that had experienced high-level sport and could share advice and help us throughout."

It's been noted in the past Frost enjoys a low-key lifestyle and he explained how he strikes a balances between the bright lights of blockbuster games and quieter times.

"When I get home, I just enjoy being pretty cruisy and low-key and I definitely like to switch off and not think too much about footy when I'm not there, it just helps give me a little bit of balance," he said.

"But I love both parts of my life."

He said gardening had probably been his biggest hobby in his spare time in the past two years.