The Hawks meet the Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Friday night in what looms as a massive test for Clarkson’s men, who have won six matches on end after a dismal start to their 2010 campaign.
Burgoyne is one of two players yet to play in a losing side for the Hawks, the gifted midfielder joining the senior line-up in round eight along with back-up ruckman Wayde Skipper.
Knee and hamstring injuries interrupted his pre-season before a broken jaw in his VFL comeback further delayed his Hawthorn debut.
Since coming into the Hawks’ side, however, Burgoyne has played a significant role in his team’s winning run.
But after seeing what Burgoyne can do - not only as Hawthorn coach but during his time as an assistant at Port Adelaide - Clarkson thinks his best is yet to come.
“I think anyone who’s watched him closely for the bulk of his career would know that he’s capable of playing better footy than he is at the present time,” Clarkson said.
“The way that he’s tracking from our point of view is just perfect.
“He’s slowly building up the contributions that he’s making and the game time that he’s playing from week to week, and we’d expect that on the back of playing the last six games that if he’s to play the next nine (matches), he’d really be able to step it up and play some of the footy that we know he’s capable of.”
His next outing will be on Friday night when the Hawks meet the Bulldogs - a match Clarkson knows will be a big test for his team which two months ago was languishing near the bottom of the AFL table.
One win from their first seven matches wasn’t the start the Hawks were after but subsequent victories against Richmond, Carlton, the Sydney Swans, Port Adelaide, Adelaide and Essendon has them back in the eight.
However Friday night’s clash - against his side’s round-three conquerer - will tell Clarkson a little more about how far his group has progressed since its early-season woes.
“It’s a good measuring stick,” Clarkson said ahead of training at Waverley on Thursday morning.
“The Western Bulldogs have been up and about for a long period of time now and they’re certainly going to be right in it towards the end of the year, so we need to test ourselves to see whether we’re capable of knocking off some of these sides.
“In terms of ladder positions and trying to climb into contention, it’s a pretty important game.
“The ladder, and where you come from and all that sort of stuff, will pan out over the course of the last eight or nine weeks of the season, so it’s just really important that we try to maintain our winning form”.
