Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell likes what he sees on paper but is wary of the reality that lies ahead in the AFL premiership race.
The Hawks (8-4-1) head to their mid-season bye third on the ladder despite a nail-biting six-point defeat to the Western Bulldogs on Friday night.
And with Jack Gunston, Tom Barrass and Conor Nash all set to return after the break, they're set up for a charge towards September.
"There's paper and there's reality, isn't there? On paper, we're in a good position," Mitchell said after his side's 12.5 (77) to 9.17 (71) loss at the MCG.
"We're going to get to the bye in the top four and we're going to have a pretty skinny injury list on the other side,
"On paper, it's sounds great, but the reality is you have to be able to perform at a high level consistently to stay in an AFL season.
"While we've given ourselves a chance, the work's not done."
"Some of our best footy of the year was played tonight, and some of our worst."
— AFL (@AFL) June 5, 2026
Sam Mitchell discusses the Hawks' loss: https://t.co/LRqKlhgSP4#AFLHawksDogs pic.twitter.com/yo5MSqBsLT
Co-captain Jai Newcombe (37 disposals, nine clearances) shone as Hawthorn dominated early against the Bulldogs, leading by 29 points in the third quarter.
But they kicked 1.11 for the second half - compared to the Dogs' 8.2 - and were overrun in a tense final term.
Mitchell lamented his side's inaccuracy and predicts a flood of letters from disgruntled supporters in the coming days.
"Execution is important and I get more mail about goal-kicking than anything else, but we probably do more work on goal-kicking than anything else," Mitchell said.
"We're still looking for answers and we've been reasonably consistent at that for a few years now.
"So it was a disappointing night tonight, but we'll refresh and recharge and get ready to go again after the bye."
Hawthorn return to action against fellow top-six side Gold Coast at People First Stadium on June 19.
