REACHING the top four now looks a very tough task for reigning premier Hawthorn, but coach Alastair Clarkson believes his side can still make a late charge for September.

Following Saturday night's gutting 20-point loss to West Coast at Subiaco Oval, the Hawks are locked outside of the top eight with six wins and seven losses.

They face the in-form Western Bulldogs next week before taking on Collingwood and Geelong in the next month.

Clarkson said that with each loss his side needed to reassess its goals in 2009, but he was adamant a run of form would see it play off in the finals.

"It's pretty tight, and as we continue to lose you have to continue to readjust your aims for the season," Clarkson said after the match.

"So many sides are aiming for the top four and that's getting harder and harder by the week.

"I quite certainly believe that we can string some games together and get ourselves into a position where we can challenge for the eight, but we're going to have to do that sooner rather than later.

"There are still nine games to go and we'll give ourselves every chance of trying to be competitive in those games and get some wins."

Turnovers in the defensive 50 resulted in six West Coast goals, Clarkson said, with a number of young players at fault.

He added that he would continue to play his young players and reasoned the side's wretched run with injuries may be a positive for the club in years to come.

On Saturday night, however, it proved very costly.

"Unfortunately for us we just made some terrible blunders at different stages throughout the game, the last quarter in particular," he said.

"We expect so much more from our back end to try and control the ball in those sorts of situations.

"It's been a real strength of our side over the last couple of years and it was a real weakness of our side tonight.

"We just need to keep playing those lads and give them every opportunity [but] right at the present time it's not helping us win games of footy."

Rather than dwell on the state of his club's premiership defence, Clarkson said he would focus its attention on a make-or -break game against the Bulldogs on Saturday night.

Mark Williams (knee) will be assessed on Monday, while Brent Guerra (corked thigh), Xavier Ellis (corked thigh) and Jordan Lewis (hip) were all fine after leaving the ground for treatment.

Stuart Dew (quad tightness) and Stephen Gilham (illness) were late withdrawals but the coach was confident he'd have the premiership pair for next week's crucial Docklands appointment.