In Wagga on Friday as a special guest at The George Maher and Hamish Howard Remembrance Golf Day, Breust said they could take heart from a positive finish - winning six of their last eight games, including against Greater Western Sydney, West Coast and Geelong.

But it certainly hurts to miss September.

"Oh you do. I'm sitting in Greece this year and you're watching Richmond go on the run they did, you watch GWS make a grand final when we beat them twice this year. It's like, wow, what could've been," Breust said.

"So the desire is there. We've got plenty of young talent that hasn't really tasted finals... I felt like we built some momentum at the back end but unfortunately we fell one game short. But I think we'll take some confidence into this pre-season."

Breust, who turns 29 this month, has been Hawthorn's leading goalkicker the last two seasons and welcomed the arrival of former GWS key forward Jon Patton.

"Patto will be good. He's obviously had a bit of a wretched run with his knees but if he can stay healthy he'll add a large amount to our forward line," Breust said.

"You throw him in with Mitch Lewis, Tim O'Brien, myself and the other guys - I'm really looking forward to getting back to pre-season and seeing what he can bring to our forward line."

The Hawks have also brought in ex-Melbourne defender Sam Frost who Breust believes can play an important role and will shore up their backline.

And he said there's great anticipation about the return of Tom Mitchell after he missed the entire season with a broken leg.

"A name like Tom Mitchell coming back into your line-up, it's pretty handy to get a Brownlow Medallist back into your midfield," he said.

Since making his debut in 2011, Breust has played 207 games for the Hawks, including their hat-trick of premierships from 2013 to 2015.

A two-time All Australian, he has another two years to run on his contract with the club.

Breust is a regular supporter of the George Maher and Hamish Howard Remembrance Golf Day raises awareness and funds for the Pillars of Strength charity supporting bereaved dads.

He was playing in a group including former Collingullie-Glenfield Park junior and Carlton midfielder Matt Kennedy, who returns to pre-season training next week.

The charity golf day is held annually at Wagga Country Club, which will roll straight into its Club Championships this weekend, with a capacity field teeing off on Saturday.

READ MORE