Coach Alastair Clarkson is reticent to say so, but the prospects of Hawthorn defending their flag are looking up appreciably after Friday night's hard-fought 22-point win over Fremantle in Perth.

While pleased that Hawthorn's young brigade are showing signs of rapid improvement, Clarkson is looking forward to the return of injured senior players like Trent Croad, Rick Ladson, Stephen Gilham and Clinton Young over the next couple of months.

With Luke Hodge also out for up to four weeks, Clarkson praised Chance Bateman for more than adequately filling the boots of the Hawks' champion defender - a bonus considering Bateman himself had been under a cloud after the previous week's loss to Essendon.

Clarkson credited Bateman, Sam Mitchell and Brad Sewell with setting up the win, but said AFL newcomers like Brendan Whitecross, Ben McGlynn, Beau Dowler and Travis Tuck were gaining invaluable opportunities to learn from the senior group.

"We'll have four or five guys that drift back into the side over the course of the next month," Clarkson said.

"I'm uncertain if any one of them will be available for next weeks's game (against Melbourne).

"We've got a lot of young kids in our side at the moment who have gained great opportunities while a lot of our senior players have been missing over the course of the last six or eight rounds.

"We're starting to see some real benefit (and they are) really starting to generate some good game time and momentum going into the season."

He could not say whether the match experience meant that Hawthorn would finish with a stronger list than it had last season, and said at present he was simply pleased that Hawthorn had squared the win-loss ledger for the first time this season.

"It's that old saying, one week at a time," he said.

But he conceded a win against Fremantle on the road was a good way to give his side a chance at turning their season around.

"Our effort was a real determined and spirited effort," he said.

"It's always tough to come across to Perth to play the West Coast and Fremantle sides, irrespective of where they are on the ladder."

He said McGlynn, in particular, had done a good job keeping Fremantle star Paul Hasleby quiet in the first half, while Matthew Pavlich had still been threatening to get the Dockers home deep into the last quarter.

"They're quality players. They're hard to keep down for the full four quarters, we knew that, but fortunately there was enough of an even contribution across our 22 guys to help get us over the line," he said.

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