Bartel started his career with the Hawks before testing himself at Ovens and Murray level, winning a premiership with Albury in 2009.

He also spent time at Lavington in 2012, before returning home the following season and playing in the club’s most recent premiership in 2014.

Hawks’ coach Adam Mudra said it’s a fantastic achievement to play 150 senior games in any league.

“We’ll be making a point of celebrating that at the end of the game because it’s a significant milestone at any level,” Mudra said.

“He’s a Kiewa-bred kid who played a bit of footy at Kiewa, went into town to really challenge himself and get as much out of his footy as he could and then decided to come back and finish his footy at home.

“It’s a real credit to himself and the footy club, he’s a terrific fella to have around the place.”

The Hawks will be chasing more consistency throughout the season after a roller-coaster start.

“We haven’t been consistently hitting the levels we want to get to, but at the same time it’s a challenging season because it’s really even,” Mudra said.

“If you don’t meet those marks consistently, you’re probably not going to get the results you want.”

Mudra added the players won’t be caught up in the fact they are facing Barnwartha for the first time since last year’s elimination final, where the Tigers ended the Hawks’ season. 

“Football moves too quickly these days for you to really look back and reflect,” he said.

“At the end of the day, Barny were a better team than Kiewa last year and there’s nothing we can do about it now.

“I look at their group and there’s certainly a lot of quality there and they’re playing better footy every week.”

Around the league, reigning premiers Thurgoona will be out to hand Yackandandah its second straight loss.

Rutherglen will look to build on last week’s impressive display against Wahgunyah with a another victory over Mitta United.

Dederang-Mount Beauty and Wodonga Saints will both be eyeing their first win of the season when they meet at Mount Beauty.

Wahgunyah is hoping to bounce back with victory at Tallangatta, while Beechworth and Chiltern meet at Beechworth.