United are 3-0 against the Hawks so far this season, but Vickerman said that it won’t over-inflate their tyres ahead of any future meetings, including a possible playoffs showdown.

“We’ve had close games with them [in Wollongong] both times and you have to prepare differently for them than any other team in the league,” Vickerman said after his side’s two-point win at the WEC on Saturday.

“You know how dangerous they are. Somehow we’ve found a way to keep them close to 80 points for a couple of games but we know we’ve got to play them one more time at our place.

“They’re a tough opponent and no one really wants to play them.

“I don’t hope they miss out [on the playoffs] or hope that they make it, we’ve got no control over that, but they’re as good as a lot of other teams that are at the top [of the ladder] right now.”