ALASTAIR Clarkson has lamented Hawthorn's uncharacteristic lack of sharpness and missed opportunities after watching his side go down by 14 points in a dour Friday night defeat to the Sydney Swans.
The Hawks were off the boil for most of the night at the MCG, but were never out of the contest until former star Lance Franklin booted two spectacular final term goals.
It was an emphatic finish to an otherwise sloppy game from both sides.
The Swans were in front from the 15-minute mark of the opening term even though they were thumped in the inside 50 count (54-40) and the Hawks had their chances to nick a win after Jack Gunston (four goals) closed the gap to just four points in the third term.
Despite the defeat, Clarkson was far from disheartened by what he saw as Hawthorn lost its third clash for the year against another top-four rival.
Match report: Swans too strong for Hawks
"We lost a game of footy where we didn't play particularly well and neither did Sydney," Clarkson said post-match.
"It was a pretty ordinary spectacle I reckon and we just played a little bit worse than what Sydney did.
"We're still alive in the season, but we need to get a bit better than what we produced tonight."
Franklin's brilliance rubbed salt into the Hawks' wounds.
The superstar forward fought an even duel with James Frawley for most of the contest, but ended the affair with two booming majors to the city end – the first of which came from Jonathon Ceglar's coughed up handball in Hawthorn's forward line.
"Maybe three or four times throughout the course of the game there were significant two-goal swings. But we had an opportunity at one end and it went straight down the other end," Clarkson said.
"In a game decided by 14 points against a good opponent, the ball bounces their way and we just didn't make the most of the chances we had – and we had plenty.
"Sydney are averaging well over 60 inside 50s for each game they've played thus far and they've had 40 tonight, so if we were presented with that stat at the start of the game, we would've said 'we're going to win this game of footy'.
"We had 54 chances ourselves inside 50 but we just didn't capitalise. Some of that's got to do with Sydney's good play, but I feel like most of it's to do with we just didn't convert our chances anywhere as near as well as we could've."
The Hawks were again smashed in contested ball (133-162) and were unable to wrest total control without champion midfielder Sam Mitchell asserting his usual influence and finishing with just 14 touches.
While Hawthorn has held its ground in sixth spot in the ladder for now, pending the West Coast Eagles' result against Port Adelaide, the Hawks will be a game behind the top four ahead of a clash with the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba next round.
