HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson has spoken out in support of his Port Adelaide counterpart Matthew Primus as the Port coach deals with back-to-back record-breaking defeats.

Port followed up its 138-point loss to Collingwood last week with a 165-point defeat to Hawthorn on Saturday, Port's biggest ever loss in the AFL and conversely, Hawthorn's biggest win.

But Clarkson spared a thought for Primus and Port, a coach and club he knows well. He served as an assistant with the Power in 2003 and 2004, leaving the club in 2004, just before that year's Grand Final, upon winning the job as senior coach of the Hawks.

"There's always got to be a team on the bottom of the ladder," Clarkson said on Saturday.

"The wheel will turn; they have some great people involved in that club and historically they've been a great club and I’m sure they’ll get themselves back up there again soon."

Clarkson cited a match at AAMI Stadium in 2005, in which his Hawthorn side almost drew level with Port in the second term, only to concede 21 of the next 23 goals and losing by 117 points.

"We were a scratchy club trying to find our way and they'd just come off the 2004 premiership. They just put us to the sword that day. But it's swings and roundabouts.

"Right now, they're feeling as low as they have in their AFL history, but their club is a very proud club and they will return. I'm sure it looks far away from them now but it looked so far away from us in 2005 as well," he said.