While the Hawks went down by 11 points to the Western Bulldogs at UTAS Stadium in Launceston to end their pre-season, Hawks fans were no doubt impressed by the debut of new recruit, Tom Barrass.

In the first half, the Bulldogs peppered away at the Hawthorn goals, with 36 inside 50 entries, and the Hawks were crying out for someone to stop the tide of scoring opportunities.

With the midfield pressure on the ball carrier low, and the Bulldogs forwards including Lachlan McNeil and Aaron Naughton looking dangerous, the new look backline worked well together, making sure the dam wall didn't burst.

Fitting into a new look backline with fellow recruit Josh Battle, as well as incumbents including the likes of skipper James Sicily, Jack Scrimshaw and Sam Frost was always going to be a challenge, but premiership defender Barrass slotted in seamlessly.

With the relentless Bulldogs' pressure and forward 50 entries, Barrass' composure and experience came to the fore, knowing what to do to stifle opportunities and buy his team time to regroup.

Known for his ability to read the ball in flight and use his body to outmark his opponent, the former Eagle showed Hawk fans why Sam Mitchell was so keen to bring him across to bolster the key defensive post.

Similar to Alistair Clarkson recruiting Brian Lake to combat the big key forwards back in the three-peat era, the ploy from Mitchell to recruit Barrass from West Coast could be a similar masterstroke, if his first appearance in brown and gold is anything to go by.

He threw his body in at the contests, ending one marking attempt with a nasty gash on his head that had to be treated, however, this did not deter Barrass from showing off his bevy of defensive traits.

He was prominent in one on one contests, taking three contested marks while lined up on the likes of Bulldogs talls Sam Darcy and Jordan Croft, in a display that showed his importance in helping the Hawks defensive counter dangerous key forwards.

Barrass ended the match with a game high nine spoils, making sure that he played his role to impede and stop the Bulldogs scoring opportunities.

It wasn't just his marking and spoiling that stood out, but his ability to knock down an opposition handball before gathering the ball for his team.

Over the off season, after he was traded to the Hawks for a 2025 first and second round pick, much was made of his back injuries and how he might struggle when the ball was on the deck.

Finishing with six intercept possessions, he showed that he could not only get the job done in the air but also when the ball was on the ground, in an effort that showed his back concerns might not be as bad as many thought.

He was rested in the last quarter where the Bulldogs key talls of Sam Darcy and Aaron Naughton kicked two goals a piece as the Hawks rotated the magnets and experimented before the start of the AFL season.

After his first showing in the brown and gold on Thursday, Barrass looks like he will be worth every cent that the Hawks have invested in him, as he will continue to build his connection with his Hawks teammates.

He will undoubtedly be a pivotal piece of Hawthorn's premiership challenge this year as he nullifies the dangerous key forwards that the Hawks have struggled to handle in the past.

The Hawks now have an eight-day break before they head to Sydney to face last year's grand finalists, the Sydney Swans, in their Opening Round clash at the SCG on Friday the 7th of March.