THE PRE-FINALS bye has come at the ideal time for Hawthorn to fix a few problems and plan an assault on a fourth successive premiership, wingman Isaac Smith says.

The Hawks are perfectly set up for their shot at history, but it took a last-gasp one-point win over Collingwood in round 23 to seal a top-four berth.

Master coach Alastair Clarkson is still tinkering in search of the Hawks' best football, and Smith agreed there was still room for improvement before facing arch rival Geelong in a blockbuster qualifying final.

"We've not been disappointed in the way we've been playing, but we believe we can definitely play better," Smith said.

"It's probably a good time to take check and realise where we weren't performing and where we can get that five or 10 per cent better.

"We've looked over a few things this week and we're looking forward to next week." 

Hawthorn won all six of their games decided by under 10 points this season and Smith believed the players' faith in each other in clutch moments could be telling during finals.

"I don't know if we're the masters of those games, but I think being in close games certainly sets you up for finals footy because you don't see too many blow-outs going deep into September," he said.

"We're confident if the game's close we can get the points, but it'd be nice not to put ourselves in those situations."

The Hawks also have a stunning September record at the MCG, where they haven't lost a final in eight matches since the 2012 Grand Final defeat to the Sydney Swans.

"I don't know if we turn into a different team or step up a cog, but I just think we've got guys that love playing in finals footy and they seem to step up and play really well," Smith said.

"But this year's a different year and we're going to have to see what happens."

Smith "can't wait" to face bitter rivals Geelong at a packed MCG next Friday night and he was tight-lipped about whether the Hawks would tag Brownlow Medal favourite Patrick Dangerfield.

The superstar Cat ran riot last time the teams met in round one, racking up 43 disposals in his first game in the blue and white hoops as Geelong snapped a four-game losing streak against Hawthorn.

"They've got some pretty good players other than Paddy, so we're not just going to be worrying about one fella," Smith said.

The Hawks had a light training run on Friday morning, with important defender Ben Stratton taking part as he builds towards a return from a torn pectoral.

However, dual premiership ruckman Ben McEvoy wasn't sighted as he recovers from a back/glute complaint.