HAWTHORN coach Alastair Clarkson believes his side will bounce back after their shock 88-point loss to the Western Bulldogs at Docklands on Saturday night.

But despite his confidence that his players can beat North Melbourne at Aurora Stadium next Sunday, Clarkson acknowledges the Hawks cannot afford to serve up similar performances if they want a part in September action.

"If we play like we did tonight, we’re not going to go anywhere near the finals," he said.

"It’s going to be frustrating for the players, the coaches and the supporters – but we can’t always have the cream on top."

Clarkson said he thought his side was building momentum in the second half of the season, but recent results have left him struggling for answers.

"We have been unable to consistently put the performances on the park this season," he said.

"We’re working hard as a group. We feel we have turned a corner but that’s not coming out the way that we play."

Hawthorn was goalless at half time but Clarkson said his players could build on their efforts which saw them outscore the Bulldogs in the third quarter – 4.2 to 2.4.

"Believe it or not, we will take some positives out of the way we performed in the second half," he said.

"But in terms of the way we expect to play – we expect to perform a hell of a lot better than we did tonight."

Clarkson said his side should not be focusing on its finals aspirations but instead look at building confidence in the group through consistent efforts.

"We’re not going to concern ourselves with finals at the present time, we just want to get our group back into some form," he said.

"The rest will look after itself."

With eight home-and-away games remaining, Clarkson acknowledges the challenge is in front of his young players.

"We have the capability as a side to play finals footy and we won't give up on that until it's mathematically impossible to get there," he said.

The Hawks have now won just six of their 14 games and sit 10th on the AFL ladder, behind Carlton on percentage.