Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson has hinted the side's AFL premiership defence might be sunk with a loss to Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.

The Hawks have made an enigmatic start to the season and are tenuously hanging onto a spot in the eight.

And they face a Demon outfit which has produced inspired but unsustained bursts of play against quality opposition this season, in contrast to last year's sad performance.

Melbourne's steady progress means it is not beyond reality for them to produce an upset and Clarkson is wary of sinking further down the table.

"You're never satisfied losing games of footy, we want to be a little bit better placed but the reality is that (we are) four and four," he said.

"We know that if we drop a couple of games, such is the evenness of the competition, it will make it tough for us.

"We know we've got an opposition this weekend in Melbourne that we need to perform well against to try and get us to five and four and we won't look any further or deeper into it than that.

"We look at the most current form as being the most relevant in terms of the side, and West Coast just got across the line a couple of weeks ago against Melbourne over in the West which is a super effort by the Demons.

"Then last week they played against a real good opposition, the Western Bulldogs, and performed well too.

"It will be a tough game. Last year Melbourne weren't travelling all that flash through the middle part of the year either and they ran us really hard at the MCG and we only just got over the line by a couple of goals in the end I think.

"We've had some pretty tight contests with them over the years and we're expecting no different on Sunday."

In line with the AFL's indigenous round this weekend, Hawthorn's Chance Bateman will captain the side.

"Our club's come a long way in terms of Aboriginal representation, particularly over the last 10 years," Clarkson said.

"It's obviously made a significant impact on our footy club and it is as a mark of respect to the Aboriginal community and boys at our club that Chance is leading the side out."

The 28-year-old is the oldest of Hawthorn's current crop of six Aboriginal players - including Lance Franklin, Cyril Rioli and Mark Williams, who unfurled an Aboriginal flag at Waverley Park on Friday in honour of the contribution of indigenous players to the AFL.

Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett said it was "absolutely appropriate" that the flag remain a permanent fixture at the club's home base.

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