Hawthorn star forward Lance Franklin says the club can achieve anything this year, with an early season injury crisis behind them and their hunger back.

The 2008 Coleman medallist produced his best game of the year, kicking 5.4, and so did his team, as they crushed previously in-form Carlton 16.14 (110) to 8.12 (60) at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

All aspects of the Hawks' game were back in order.

Franklin and fellow marking target Jarryd Roughead (3.3) were menacing, while small forwards Rhan Hooper and Michael Osborne each chimed in with two goals.

Luke Hodge led the way in the midfield, combining 29 touches and seven clearances with seven tackles and an important last-quarter goal, while fellow midfielders Shaun Burgoyne, Jordan Lewis and Sam Mitchell were good contributors.

The Hawks also kept Carlton - who had topped the 100-point mark in each of their past five games - to their lowest score of the season, a credit to Hawthorn's ferocious defensive pressure across the ground as much as the defenders themselves.

Franklin said it was that aspect that set the performance apart.

"You could see straight away our pressure was right up and our tackles were right up, (which means) you're usually in the game, we did that and we ended up getting the four points, which was really exciting," he said.

"It's just great to get a win, it's been a frustrating year so far, but we've won our last two and hopefully we can just keep building." He said it was that aggressive approach which enabled him to find his best form.

"Pressure is the main way of getting yourself into the game, tackling and getting on to the ground balls and going from there."

Coach Alastair Clarkson said Franklin's season start was made more difficult by serving two suspensions and another interruption with an ankle injury.

The coach said with other stars Mitchell, Burgoyne and Cyril Rioli, and Hooper having injury-interrupted early seasons, the team was just hitting its stride.

And with Chance Bateman due back from suspension in round 11, Clarkson said Hawthorn would be hard to blanket.

"If we can get them all into our side and some sort of continuity from one week to the next, not just with the games that they play, but with their training and preparation, we think we'll be a so much better side," he said.

Franklin backed that view and said if the Hawks maintain their hunger and aggression - partly stirred by public criticism of the club - they would be a force.

"Our confidence has definitely grown from the last two games and if we can keep this team together, anything's possible," Franklin said.

Blues coach Brett Ratten took few positives from his side's performance, but paid much of the credit to the Hawks.

"They really hunted us, physically they were just always into their opponents, whether it was their backs on our forwards, even their forwards on our backs. They just really came prepared and really on the front foot," Ratten said.

But the Carlton coach gained some heart from the performance of recalled key forward Lachie Henderson, who kicked three goals in the third term, the Blues' only good patch of the game, young ruckman Sam Jacobs and stopper Aaron Joseph, who blanketed Rioli.

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