THRILLED by Hawthorn's first-quarter blitz of North Melbourne, coach Alastair Clarkson admits there's still some tinkering to do to have the Hawks firing on all cylinders for another premiership assault.

Clarkson praised his troops for their eight-goal-to-one opening term, which blew the Roos off the MCG on Saturday in an emphatic response to last week's shock loss to Melbourne.

"That was a really good start to the game for us, and the best quarter we've played for some time, so that's a pleasing outcome of the game," Clarkson said post-match.

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The Hawks sliced through the Roos' defence with the precise ball movement that has been a hallmark of their premiership three-peat, but couldn't finish North off and had to fight through the second half before running out 39-point winners.

"It was disappointing that we couldn't keep going, we would've loved to have been able to maintain that type of footy," Clarkson said.

"It was a frustrating game. Because we got out to such a good start, probably the second quarter was more frustrating than the third because then by half-time it's game on, really.

"We allowed North to get back into the contest with a five-goal-to-one second quarter, and we had some chances where we just didn’t use the ball anywhere near as well as we did in the first quarter, and that gave North a chance."

WATCH: Alastair Clarkson's full post-match press conference

Although the Hawks have protected their buffer on top of the ladder – likely to be back to one-game after round 21 - with their ninth win from 10 starts, their coach isn't entirely satisfied with finals on the horizon.

"I don't think today's form is going to win us a key final or a Grand Final, so we need to play a bit better," Clarkson said.

"(But) we're not overly concerned with playing premiership football right at this point in time, it's more about getting the wins and making sure our players are getting continuity in their footy from week-to-week."

Clarkson didn't overlook the importance of returning premiership stars Paul Puopolo, Liam Shiels and James Frawley, and praised elite runners Isaac Smith (33 disposals), Brad Hill (28) and Billy Hartung (19) for breaking the lines.

Five talking points: Hawthorn v North Melbourne

First-gamer Ryan Burton showed some promise up forward, including snapping a smart goal as he joined the first-kick, first-goal club.

"I thought he showed some really good signs … he did some good things, snapped a really clever goal and got some other opportunities to nail a couple more," Clarkson said.

"First game and you get a chance to kick three goals, he would've been pretty pleased with that outcome.

"We think he's going to be a really strong player for us in the years to come.

"He's just getting a bit of a taste for it now and who knows what sort of impact he can have in the last part of the season if he continues to apply himself well."

The Hawks' next test awaits them in Perth against West Coast, another must-win game.

"Nic Nat's (Naitanui) back in their side now. He's obviously a key part of their structure and set up and is a real spirit player for them," Clarkson said.

"We're going to have to be right on our game to knock them off."