Hawthorn Coach Alastair Clarkson said he had an overriding feeling of disappointment for his players following the side's 50-point loss to Melbourne on Sunday. 

The Hawks were competitive with the undefeated Demons for the bulk of the day, but conceded a barrage of goals in the final term that somewhat deceived the evenness of the contest.

"I'm more disappointed for the lads because they put in an enormous effort for the first three quarters of the game and kicked the first goal of the fourth quarter," Clarkson said. 

"We were right in the game and then to fall like we did was disappointing because it wasn't a true indication of the contest over the course of the day.

"In the overall scheme of things, in terms of the best way to learn from it, is to focus on the first three quarters where we really served it up to them instead of that last quarter."

Match report: Hawks fall away as Dees storm home

Despite wanting to focus on the strong points of the team's performance, Clarkson said the Demons onslaught still needed to be addressed in the side's review. 

"When things go against you, whether it be a skill decision or an umpire decision or whatever it might be, we need to work out a way where the dam wall doesn't just break open."