HAWTHORN coach Sam Mitchell hopes his developing side will see some reward for effort with a win soon, but says he doesn't see the scoreboard as the only measure of progression.
And while Saturday's hefty 54-point defeat at the hands of Melbourne showed a gulf in class between the two sides, Mitchell saw enough cause for optimism going forward.
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"Melbourne are a good side and we had no answers for them early in the game," he said.
"I was pleased with the resilience of our group and the fact that we found a couple of things in the game.
"But really I looked at Melbourne and they're a pretty impressive unit.
"We know when we've made significant strides.
"Even though today we lost to a very good side, we still made some progress towards the direction we want to go.
"Last week against Freo we couldn't really have said that. I would've said that was a backwards step.
"Today, it's not a giant step forward by any stretch, but there were some parts of the game that looked promising."
Mitchell took heart from the individual performances of Seamus Mitchell, Josh Weddle and Lloyd Meek.
He also noted a midfield led by Will Day, Jai Newcombe and James Worpel built more consistency, though Melbourne's seasoned on-ball brigade ultimately proved too strong.
The Demons are operating on a different level; one that Hawthorn are ultimately trying to reach.
"They're a finished product of a group and they're just trying to sustain that for as long as they can," Mitchell said.
"You talk to our group about how it took them a long time to get there and we're at the early phase of that.
"When you play against Hawthorn in years to come you want to be knowing that you're coming up against a side that has all aspects of the game covered because they've been doing it for a long time together."
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin hailed Jacob van Rooyen's ability to stand up under the spotlight after a tough week.
The young gun was controversially suspended for two matches, a decision that was upheld by the tribunal before Melbourne had it overturned on appeal.
The saga played out amid fierce debate around van Rooyen's mistimed spoiling attempt on Gold Coast's Charlie Ballard and the subsequent 'striking' charge, which Goodwin feared could have changed the fabric of the sport.
Van Rooyen kicked one goal, assisted another and provided a focal point in attack after Harrison Petty was substituted out with a foot injury.
"It was a brilliant opportunity for him. He's a 20-year-old lad that went through an enormous week," Goodwin said.
"Whether he was going to play or not, we spoke to him about his ability to be able to deal with that, and also if he got through that his ability to be able to come out and perform.
"He only kicked one (goal) on the scoreboard but he had five or six marks, 14 touches and competed really strongly all day.
"With Petty going off the ground, he gave us a really great aerial contest ahead of the ball."
