AFTER a challenging start to the season on and off the field, Cyril Rioli believes there will be "blue sky" ahead for Hawthorn as the club chases an historic fourth-straight flag.

The Hawks were understandably flat in a 14-point loss to the Sydney Swans last Friday night after the shock news of Jarryd Roughead's melanoma recurrence.

Roughead's best mate Jordan Lewis revealed his mind wandered during the game and said players were mentally fatigued ahead of the clash, but Rioli was confident the Hawks would be better prepared to take on the Brisbane Lions at the 'Gabba.

"I think we're getting there … there's been a few hurdles over the week, so (we said to each other) let's stick tight and get each other through," Rioli said.

Rioli himself has also had to deal with the illness of a family member in the Northern Territory, which saw him miss the win over Fremantle.

Meanwhile, assistant coach Adem Yze's mother-in-law recently passed away and speedy wingman Bradley Hill was on Tuesday night charged with assault for an incident during pre-season.

"It's been a tough battle for the club over the last couple of weeks, but we're a resilient group and we'll definitely all pull together," Rioli said.

On the field, the Hawks are 6-3 and in a better position than at the same time last year, but there have been some close wins and tough losses to quality sides.

Rioli conceded the round-two belting of West Coast was the only time Hawthorn had played to its potential this season.

"We're not playing the footy we want to this year, but we've still got a lot of blue sky and a lot of improvement," he said.

"Hopefully, we'll get a lot better as the season goes on and try to keep racking up the wins.

"We're trying to rehearse, trying to get better and hopefully we put ourselves in a really good position at the end of the season."

Although Hawthorn sits seventh on the ladder with a percentage of just 102.7, Rioli insisted the Hawks still had the tools to win another flag.

"We feel we still have the personnel to do it and last year we didn't go so well (early). I think we're in a better position than last year," Rioli said.