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Small forwards Jack Ginnivan and Nick Watson are a big part of Hawthorn's future as coach Sam Mitchell plots the path to a finals return.

Sam Mitchell can see the AFL future at Hawthorn and it heavily involves his pair of goalkicking excitement machines.

Hawks fans were given tantalising glimpses of what might lie ahead when Jack Ginnivan and Nick "Wizard" Watson played their first senior games for the club in Saturday's loss to Essendon.

Ginnivan kicked two goals, while Watson was also busy without success, scoring 0.3

Hawthorn recruited Ginnivan from last year's Collingwood premiership team and brought in Watson through the November draft with the No.5 pick.

Fellow Magpies small forward Bobby Hill won the Norm Smith Medal as best afield in last year's grand final, kicking four goals.

Mitchell noted that was not an isolated performance in last year's finals series.

"Everyone could see the plan. Everyone could see what we're trying to build," Mitchell said of Ginnivan and Watson after Saturday's game.

"It's been a couple of years that we've been trying to build this foundation that will springboard us into September action.

"You watch the finals campaign of last year and the small forwards were the difference in a lot of games - that's going to be us and they're going to be the guys who are going to take us there.

"Certainly 'Ginni' is going to bring a level of excitement ... and 'The Wiz' is not going to be far behind him."

The rebuilding Hawks lost no friends, pushing Essendon amid eight lead changes until the Bombers kicked clear in the last quarter.

Their goalkicking inaccuracy ultimately cruelled Hawthorn, but Mitchell does not see that as a major issue - or, at least, he hopes it's not.

"If I had the pre-season again, I wouldn't change how much goalkicking we've done ... a huge amount," he said.

"Maybe I'm tempting fate, but I don't think that's going to be a pattern."