REIGNING premier Hawthorn is confident it has found a cure to the hangover that plagued its 2008 flag defence, defender Grant Birchall says.

The Hawks came back to the pack quickly after their drought-breaking 2008 triumph, missing the 2009 finals series and only re-establishing themselves as a powerhouse team again in 2011.

Birchall, who re-signed with the Hawks on Friday until the end of 2017, was a key member of both the 2008 and 2013 premierships and said the Hawks had learned from the aftermath of their upset 2008 defeat of Geelong.

The 25-year-old said the Hawks had reinforced those lessons in the days after sealing their 11th premiership against Fremantle.

"After our Grand Final win we sat down and had our final team meeting and that was well mentioned," Birchall said at Box Hill's City Oval on Friday.

"The boys have come back in really good shape and are determined to do really well next year."

Clarkson has conceded the Hawks were too slow to adjust their 2008 game plan after opposition teams worked it out, but Birchall believes the two-time premiership coach will not let that happen again next season.

"I'm sure Clarko's well aware of that. We might tinker a few things here and there, but I think we've got a pretty solid foundation at the minute so we wouldn't change a hell of a lot, I shouldn't imagine," Birchall said.

The Hawks' premiership defence should also be bolstered by the return of Matt Suckling and Ryan Schoenmakers, who Birchall said were back on full training programs after knee reconstructions last year.

Before re-signing, Birchall had been contracted to the end of 2015, when he would have become a free agent.

But after losing spearhead Lance Franklin to free agency just days after clinching this year's premiership, the Hawks moved quickly to tie up Birchall for another two seasons.

Birchall was in a light-hearted mood on Friday, joking that he'd just signed a 10-year deal worth $12 million and that his manager had been on the phone to Hawthorn as soon as Franklin's nine-year, $10 million deal at the Sydney Swans was announced.

"I'm rapt to be able to sign up again," Birchall said more seriously.

"I think in the next couple of years we're going to be right up there and challenging again so it was a bit of a no-brainer in the end."

"Hawthorn gave me an opportunity at a young age so I just really want to repay them and continue to play some good footy."