Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has described his AFL team's performance in recent losses to Port Adelaide and Sydney as "disgraceful" and "appalling".

Saturday's 44-point belting by the Swans saw the Hawks drop two places to eighth.

In an open letter to supporters on the Hawthorn website on Monday, Kennett said he spoke to a senior player after the shock eight-point loss to Port Adelaide in round 18 "and told him I thought our performance was disgraceful".

"We did not travel to Adelaide to play, and we certainly did not play out the game," he said.

"We just seemed to stop halfway through the last quarter."

Kennett said the player responded, telling him he was too pessimstic and that the squad would bounce back against the Swans.

"But confidence alone does not guarantee success as Saturday showed," said Kennett.

"An appalling first half (against Sydney) where we were outplayed and outcoached, a better second half, but a loss.

"It is one thing to be trained so well that you are an eternal optimist, but such optimism must be tinged with a dash of realism.

"One cannot be blind to the circumstances in which you live and in our case, compete.

"Sydney showed a desire to win throughout the day that was superior and more intense than ours. Their game plan more easily identified."

Kennett said he knew his forthright comments would upset some of the Hawks' coaches and players, but denied there was any crisis at the club.

"In fact the club is in a very good and healthy place - with one exception," he said.

"We need to improve in the football department and on the field.

"It just may be that we are simply not good enough, and clearly we are not good enough to be in the top four.

"Now the question is being justifiably asked - are we good enough, do we want to be in the top eight?

"A premiership in 2008 and not make the top eight in two successive years? That would be a telling statistic."

Hawthorn face surging Melbourne in a must-win encounter on Sunday at the MCG.

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