The Hawks smashed the Blues by 78 points at Telstra Dome, in a game that will be better remembered for Lance 'Buddy' Franklin's 100th season goal than the dominant scoreline it produced.
But Clarkson said claiming a convincing ahead of the Hawks’ qualifying final against the Western Bulldogs was vital.
"The guys were really determined to do well, and we think winning form is good form. That was a real focus for us," he said.
"Today was a bit of a dead rubber with the influence it could have on possible finishing positions or the context of the finals.
"So there was a bit of a risk the guys could put the cue in the rack and wait for next week, but that was the pleasing part of our game, that some guys really applied themselves in the right type of manner, which says a lot about the maturity of the group."
The Hawks might have kicked their biggest score for the season on Saturday evening, but Clarkson was realistic that goals won't flow as easily next week.
"When we move the ball swiftly like that and give our forwards opportunity, we're an exciting team to watch," he said.
"Not all games of footy are going to be played like that, and I wouldn't expect for one minute that we're going to kick 24 goals.
"It's been a real slog, the 22 rounds, and all the home-and-away does is give you the opportunity to qualify for a position in the top eight. We've managed to finish in the top four, so we know we're going to play at least two finals.
"If we play well enough, we'll go deep enough into September. I wouldn't imagine that games will be as free-flowing and as high scoring in the finals as what it was today."
He also said he won't be reading into the comparative results his side and the Bulldogs recorded on Saturday.
"The strange part about footy is that you can nearly put away what's happened in the previous 22 games," he said.
"I recall last year we got defeated handsomely by the Sydney Swans in round 22, Adelaide had a victory in round 22 and we managed to win the following week.
"It's really how you prepare for the day. We're not under any illusions about the difficulty of our task going forward, and we'll prepare for the Western Bulldogs as we've done every other side in the 22 home-and-away rounds."
Mark Williams came off in the last quarter with what Clarkson labelled a "knock to the hip", but is expected to be fine for next weekend.
