ALASTAIR Clarkson admitted his side had been below par during the second half against the Brisbane Lions at Launceston’s Aurora Stadium on Sunday

The Hawks coach lamented his side’s inability to compete with a tough and hungry Lions outfit and was particularly disappointed with the second-half capitulation.

“Just the way we fell away in the second half of the game I suppose, you know, 10 goals to one in the second half,” he said.

“They smashed us for clearances; they smashed us for inside 50s, they smashed us for hardness at the footy. They taught us a footy lesson.

“We just weren’t good enough in the second half and they showed us they’re obviously a very good football side.”

The Hawks’ inability to compete against the Lions’ ruck duo of Mitch Clark and Jared Brennan really told, allowing the Lions to win clearances around the ground and frustrating Clarkson no end.

“If the ball’s quickly spread from clearances and goes into the opposition half, you’re just waiting for the dam wall to break really, and that’s what happened.

“I put that influence down to the significance of Clark and Brennan in the ruck and when you’ve got smart small players underneath them like, particularly Black, but also Power and Rich... it makes it pretty hard to stop the onslaught.

“We can be as hungry as we like at the footy, but when they’re dominating that area of the ground it makes it pretty difficult.”

Clarkson is looking forward to the return of key defenders Rick Ladson and Stephen Gilham during the second half of the season but admits a big improvement is needed after the break if the Hawks are to repeat their 2008 heroics.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do at the footy club," he said.

“When we’re running well and creating opportunities for ourselves and working together well as a team we’re a very, very good side, but when we’re not, we’re just very much middle of the pack and that’s where we sit right at the current stage.

“We’re going to need a very significant second half of the season to even make the eight, let alone feature prominently in September.”