The strong-bodied 23-year-old accepted the ban after striking Brisbane Lions' forward James Polkinghorne in round eight, and has seen his side lose all three games in his absence.
Against the Kangaroos, he's ready to help the side get back to the standard of football it was playing earlier in the season.
""Obviously it's (the suspension) a punishment to make up for your wrongs, and sitting on the sidelines watching the way they've played you want to be out there to support them and help them. I'm excited to get back this week and do that for them,"" Hocking said on Friday at Windy Hill.
""You let the team down when you miss weeks of footy and I just want to move on. I've improved on the track while I've been out, and you get to see things from a different point of view and that's what I've done.""
Hocking's loss cannot be understated in Essendon's losses to Richmond, Melbourne and last week's 34-point defeat to Fremantle at Patersons Stadium. His hardness, combined with his skill and leadership – Hocking is the youngest member of Essendon's leadership group – has been sorely missed.
Hocking said the club's coaching panel had spent the week reinforcing how the team should play its football, and that spending an extra day in Perth as a result of the volcanic ash interfering with air traffic should not have an impact on Saturday's game.
""We just want to get back to playing that type of footy we were playing in the early part of the NAB Cup and the season. The last few weeks have been disappointing, but the players know they have to improve and get back to how we were playing earlier,"" Hocking said.
Essendon has benefited with the return of Tayte Pears, who will play his first AFL game since round 13 against Hawthorn last year after pancreatic surgery and then an on-going foot injury, and Hocking said it was important to have the 21-year-old back.
""It's good to see him back after a long stint on the sidelines. He prepares well and has worked hard over that time,"" Hocking said.
