Following their Round 4 loss to Geelong, the Hawks have found themselves in unfamiliar territory, starting the season 0-4 for the first time since 1998.

After a long period of sustained success, Captain Jarryd Roughead concedes that it is difficult for the playing group to adjust to its slow start.

“This is a challenging time for the footy club,” Roughead said while appearing on AFL program On the Couch.

 “Blokes that have [come in] since the end of 2011 haven’t experienced anything like this, all they’ve known is grand finals and finals.

“It’s now a matter of... helping each other work through it.”

Read: Calming words from Hodge

Despite the 0-4 start, Roughead says the leadership group are trying to maintain positivity within the team.

“It’s a matter of sticking fat, working hard on the training track and working through it,” said the skipper.

“It’s not as if we’re a poor list that’s going through a big change, it’s just a matter of investing back into the footy club, because it’s a pretty good footy club to be at, and knowing that things can turn.”