The Hawks have lost just one match in 2006 - against Collingwood in round two - and enter this weekend fourth on the ladder. But Clarkson is remaining firm that the Hawks will not increase its expectations this year.
"Nothing's changed for us. We know we've got a long way to go and it hasn't surprised us that we've been able to win some games early in the season," Clarkson said at Waverley Park on Friday.
"We've seen with a lot of clubs, there are some really good sides, who for other reasons, have only won one game at this point in time.
"I wouldn't imagine that this current trend is going to be maintained for the whole season and at some point we're going to lose some games and at some point the teams that are struggling a little bit at the moment are going to string some (wins) on end.
"So we've got a long way to go as a footy club, but it's just good for our supporters and good for our players that have tasted a little bit of success and know that we're on the right track with where we want to go."
Clarkson attributed the club's solid pre-season form as a reason why his side was up-and-going at this stage of the year.
"It's perhaps a legacy of a really good pre-season, where we've managed to get a lot of our guys fit and firing. Last year, early on, we had a lot of injuries going into the season," Clarkson said.
As for Sunday's clash against arch-rival Essendon, Clarkson was not being lulled into a false sense of security that the opposition's short break - the Bombers played Collingwood last Tuesday on Anzac Day - would be a hindrance against his team.
"You'd like to think that the longer break would help us, but at the end of the day, Essendon is a very experienced and mature side and (they've) got a lot of players that have been through that before," Clarkson said.
"They play Anzac Day every year and they have short breaks and longer breaks as a result of that.
"Essendon is a formidable opponent no matter what time you play them, particularly when their backs are against the wall and I suspect they'll be fired up, despite the short break.
"Essendon is always very hungry and we're preparing for a pretty tough contest on Sunday."
