MORE TO do, improvements to be made.

Despite Geelong's gutsy 11-point win over fellow premiership contender Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night, Cats midfielder Brent Prismall wasn't looking or sounding too thrilled after the game.

Coach Mark Thompson was clearly excited by the win, achieved without Gary Ablett, Cameron Ling, Darren Milburn, David Wojcinski and then, after the second term, Paul Chapman.

But Prismall was writing the book on how to keep the lid on his side's surge to September.

"We thought we played some pretty decent football throughout the night, but there were definitely things to work on throughout the night as well," he said.

"We definitely didn't fire on all cylinders this week, so it's back to the drawing board during the week and look forward to the next game."

The 22-year-old was of the same opinion regarding his own game.

"I was OK without being spectacular – I've definitely got a lot of things to work on," he said. "By no means am I really satisfied with my game, I've still got a lot to work on, and I know with blokes coming back into the side in the next few weeks there's going to be pressure on me.

"I've just got to try to keep performing and try to hold my spot in what is a really strong side."

But consistency was something that Prismall was happy with.

"That's one thing we have worked on over the last two years, bridging the gap between our good performances and our bad performances.

"We do work on it, and it definitely shows in our footy – there's a lot more consistency with our efforts, rather than a few years back when we'd be either really good, or maybe not so good."

The Cats have now knocked off both the Hawks and the Dogs in their last two matches, the sides that sit just below them on the ladder, and Prismall said that would encourage more self-belief as the pointy end of the season approaches.

"It gives us a lot of confidence to go forward," he said. "Obviously there's a fair chance we're going to play one of those sides – if not both those sides – in the finals, so that definitely gives us a lot of confidence moving forward to the finals and the end of the year."