SKIPPER Luke Hodge says the Hawks know where they need to improve on Friday night’s performance, ahead of another blockbuster clash against West Coast Eagles this weekend.

The Hawks’ 18-point loss to Richmond ended a run of eight consecutive wins for the dual reigning premiers.

No side enjoys losing, and Hodge said there were clear areas the Hawks would need to improve to produce a better performance against the Eagles.

“Obviously we didn’t play as good a style of football (against Richmond) as what we have over the last few weeks,” Hodge said.

“We stuffed around with the ball a little bit at the start, and when we got it up forward, they had a spare man and used the ball a lot better than what we did.

“(In terms of) contested footy we were down, and pretty much every main stat that we keep we were down.”

The Tigers' restriction of the Hawks' scoring was noticeable.

The Hawks went inside 50 just 43 times for the match – down more than 15 on their season average – and had just 18 scoring shots for 7.11, their lowest offensive output for the season.

“The ball wasn’t flowing that well… we didn’t take the game on as much as what we normally do,” Hodge said.

“They defended really well, but we’ll go back to the drawing board. 

“It wasn’t ideal the way we played, but the good part about having a loss at this time of year is you get to really zone in on where you need to improve leading into the finals.”

Saturday’s clash with the second-placed Eagles is huge for the Hawks’ aspirations of a top-two finish – a win would close the gap between the two sides to just two points with four rounds to play.

Hodge acknowledged it was an important game in the context of the club’s season. 

“It’s a massive game,” he said.

“They’ve been playing some outstanding footy and travelling over there, it’s a big task.

“After the weekend, it will be good to reassess where we’re at and what we need to improve on, and go full steam ahead this week.”

 


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