Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse says a lack of confidence is affecting all areas of the Magpies' game, but he has faith in his players to get their AFL finals bid back on track.

Collingwood suffered their third straight defeat on Friday night, a 17.14 (116) to 8.14 (62) loss to Hawthorn at the MCG.

Malthouse admitted numerous players were out of form, making the side look slow and deficient in skill.

"We are like every other side that is in fourth to 12th or 13th, we're all under pressure, because every game is so important, sometimes you run into form, sometimes you don't," Malthouse said.

"I think that some top sides can generally hold their own, but we are clearly one of the middle-ranked sides and you fluctuate accordingly and when you do that you appear slow, you appear lacking confidence.

"I'd say yes we've lacked confidence and yes, when you're chasing you do look slow ... then it starts to affect other things, the skill level, we know what the skill level (against Hawthorn) was like."

After making four changes ahead of the Hawks clash, Malthouse said he would consider more for next Saturday night's meeting with St Kilda, but added he had not lost faith with his senior players, despite the slump.

"It will turn, so long as the players believe and that's why every week you go in with some confidence," Malthouse said.

"Because you just know at some stage, you keep at it and you keep at it and the good people that are good players will turn it around at some stage for you."

Malthouse said the biggest problem was that Hawthorn thrashed his side in the midfield, winning the centre clearances 21 to seven.

He said with Hawthorn's strength in attack, led by superstar Lance Franklin, who booted 8.6, and fellow tall Jarryd Roughead, who kicked four goals, the Magpies defence was always going to struggle.

"You've got to win the ball out of the centre before your forward line functions, but when it gets there, their forward line can function very, very well," he said.

"They're an extremely good football side, we're not playing good football at all at the moment, we're too reliant on too few and unfortunately at this stage we're lacking in a lot of areas."

Young key defenders Nick Maxwell and Nathan Brown were well beaten by Franklin and Roughead respectively, with Malthouse acknowledging his side did not have a defender capable of matching Franklin.

Veteran full-back Shane Wakelin was rested from the match.

"I'm not too sure whether he'll be ready next week because he's mentally tired," he said.

"The bloke's 34, he's played on all the top forwards, physically he has to get himself up every week and he's not the most mobile bloke, so he puts probably more time in to get ready for a game than most players."

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