HAWTHORN felt the full spectrum of emotions in Sunday’s nine-point win over North Melbourne, but midfielder Brad Sewell said there was one overriding feeling when the siren sounded.

“There is certainly an element of relief," Sewell admitted.

“To have fought so hard and to let it slip – particularly where we’ve come from and what we’ve put ourselves through ... to have crawled over the line in those conditions allows you to enjoy a hard-fought win like that.”

The Hawks’ win leaves them one game out of the top eight, but Sewell said the team had plenty of work to do to build momentum at the end of the season.

“I’m not sure about (that game) turning a season around, but certainly we haven’t fought out a victory like that for quite a while,” he said.

“The conditions, particularly against a side like North Melbourne, make it a great win for us.”

In one of his better performances of the season, Hawthorn star Lance Franklin booted four goals in the final term, which Sewell said was just reward for the forward's work ethic.

“That was just a matter of time for him to turn things around," Sewell said.

"He’s been working very hard for quite a long period of time now. He started the game well working up behind the ball a bit. We finished the way we know we can,” he said.

Luke Hodge was another key contributor to the win, gathering 25 touches and booting a vital goal that gave the Hawks the lead.

Hodge was used mainly as a midfielder on Sunday, but Sewell said he wasn’t sure if that would be his permanent home for the rest of the season.

“We’ve seen him play back really well, midfield and forward. That’s the beauty of Luke Hodge - his versatility and being able to play in a number of positions.”

The Hawks face an in-form Collingwood this week having won their last three encounters against the Magpies, but Sewell said recent history between the two teams would not be a factor this week.

“It doesn’t count for too much at all,” he said.

“They’re playing really well. They’ve got quite a few contributors; across the board their guys are playing good footy. We are going to have to step up.”