THE HAWKS will welcome reinforcements as they head into the bye rounds "one or two wins" short of where they would like to be, coach Alastair Clarkson says.

The premiers dispatched St Kilda by 63 points at Etihad Stadium in Sunday's twilight clash to improve their record to 6-4 and their percentage to a league-leading 155.2.

That percentage could yet play a part in a tight top-four race Clarkson believes could become a "fight to the death".

Hawthorn enjoys a bye next week before facing Adelaide at Adelaide Oval in round 12.

Clarkson said the Hawks could regain Grant Birchall and Paul Puopolo for the Crows clash, while Will Langford, Matt Spangher and Ben McEvoy have returned from injury in the VFL.

He said the substitution of veteran defender Brian Lake at three-quarter time against the Saints was not injury-related, with Clarkson confirming it was simply a man-management issue.

"Given the circumstances of today's game, we were 5-4 and we rated St Kilda as a particularly dangerous opponent … to get to 6-4 we're pleased, but we probably would have liked one or two (more) wins," Clarkson said.

"It's a tough competition. We've lost four games by less than two goals, and the games we have won we've won convincingly.

"We've got a really, really healthy percentage. Hopefully that'll hold us in good stead, particularly if it becomes a real fight to the death in terms of whose going to make top four."

Asked whether he was pleased with where his side sat in key statistical categories, Clarkson went away from the usual process-over-results speak of coaches.

"I'm like most people – I measure the Ws and Ls more so than anything else," he said.

"We're all about transferring all that good statistical data into wins. We just have let ourselves down in crucial periods of games, particularly early, and we need to get that better. We started a bit better tonight."

The Hawks dominated St Kilda for much of the contest but were surprisingly outgunned in disposals (406-356), uncontested possessions (285-219) and uncontested marks (117-85).

Clarkson gathered his players before they left the field at half-time. He said the message was largely about perseverance given the Saints' amount of ball control.

"It wasn't going to be a pretty game necessarily, and we just had to slug away at it," he explained. "The message was (to) just maintain our defensive action and try to restrict the St Kilda side from getting scoreboard pressure."

The Hawks coach was happy to keep St Kilda to just seven goals before surrendering three "junk time" majors.

He was also pleased about sharing the midfield load, with youngster Billy Hartung (26 touches) enjoying a terrific game while Bradley Hill (11 and two goals), for example, was quieter than usual.