MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 31: James Sicily of the Hawks during a Hawthorn Hawks AFL training session at Waverley Park on August 31, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by George Salpigtidis/Getty Images)

Hawthorn champion Josh Gibson has told SEN Afternoons that the Hawks will “relish” coming in as underdogs in their Thursday night blockbuster against Richmond.

Richmond have won their past 21 games at the MCG and seem as close to invincible as any team has ever been playing on the hallowed turf, even if they were strongly tested in their Round 23 clash against the Bulldogs.

“I’m sure the boys will relish going in as the underdogs,” Gibson said.

“They go into Thursday night’s game as the underdog and no pressure on them because there’s a lot of people that didn’t even think Hawthorn might make the eight.”

“Richmond’s had a fantastic year, the best team in the competition and an awesome record at the MCG, but Hawthorn’s got nothing to lose and it’s a nice position to be in.”

Gibson is the AFL's premiership cup ambassador for 2018. He played 225 games in a storied career which saw him win three premierships as a key contributor to Hawthorn's premiership success.