HAWTHORN appears set to reap a huge windfall from tonight's blockbuster match against Geelong at the MCG.

With the Melbourne Cricket Club expecting upwards of 85,000 people for the much-anticipated Hawks' home game, Hawthorn has estimated that its gate receipts could total $500,000 — roughly double what it had budgeted for before the season.

However, it is still unsure if the crowd will get to see midfield star Luke Hodge, whose partner was due to give birth to their first child yesterday, with Hodge committed to attending the birth.

"Like all pregnancies, there's probably a two- to three-week window when Lauren will have the baby and if it happens to come tomorrow afternoon or late evening, then Hodge will miss the game," coach Alastair Clarkson said yesterday.

"So we'll just have a contingency in place which will be an emergency player waiting there to get the call just before game time."

Shane Crawford misses the game with knee tendonitis, while Geelong made no change from the line-up that beat the Western Bulldogs by 61 points.

Hawthorn's acting chief executive, Terry Dillon, said tonight's game, coupled with next Friday night's match against Collingwood, presented an exciting opportunity.

"I think for Hawthorn to be on that stage is great for our players, it's great for our coaches and it's great for our members," Dillon said yesterday.

The AFL announced that all public tickets for tonight's match had been sold on Wednesday, and the total size of the crowd will now be determined by the number of MCC and Hawthorn reserved seating members who make it to the game.

Clarkson said the interest was a great boost. "To have 90,000 wanting to come to the MCG to watch our game of footy is just a tremendous endorsement for the way our footy club's gone about it over the last three or four years," he said.

Speaking at training yesterday, Clarkson was optimistic about his young side's prospects against the ladder-leading Cats.

"We've done quite well against Geelong, you know, we've won the last three against them, so it's not like they're indestructible and can't be defeated," he said.

"But as we know, they've won so many games over the last 18 months in particular that they're a real formidable force."

Clarkson pointed to the advantage that Geelong enjoyed in terms of onfield experience as one of the main obstacles his players would have to overcome if they were to defeat the premier tonight.

"If you look at their back six in particular, I think they average about 170 games (each) across their back six players and in those areas of the game — when to play on their opponent, when to zone off — they're exceptional and so much of their game's built on their defence," he said.

Regardless of the result, Clarkson said playing the Cats on the big stage would benefit his team in the longer term.

"Playing on a Friday night (in a) finals-type atmosphere against a quality opponent, irrespective of whether we win or lose, it's just going to be an enormous experience for our players as well as our coaching staff," he said.

Despite the match being a sell-out, it will not be televised live into Melbourne, with Channel Seven confirming it would stick to its normal Friday night schedule.

A Seven spokesman said a live telecast into Melbourne was not an option, giving its commitment to all viewers and advertisers as its reason for maintaining the 8.30pm start for the broadcast.

But the station will televise the Melbourne-Geelong match in a fortnight live, so that it does not interrupt the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games.