Alastair Clarkson believes Hawthorn are ready for an overdue return to the tactical forefront of the AFL.

Football trailblazers with their Clarko's Cluster zone defence in 2008, the coach admits the Hawks miscalculated for the next season-and-a-bit by expecting the same methods to keep delivering success.

The fact that they won just 10 of their next 29 games was initially put down to a heap of injuries to key players.

But at some point during their six-match losing streak early last season, Hawthorn's brains trust realised those injuries were masking a greater worry - that rivals such as Collingwood and St Kilda had moved the game on and left them behind.

"It lulled us into a false sense of security," Clarkson said of the injury toll.

"In actual fact, we had to make some pretty major changes to the way that we went about it, over especially the early part of 2010."

That included altering the way they moved the ball and positioned players.

More significantly, Clarkson acknowledged that their rivals' surge in midfield rotations was working, as most starkly proved by the Magpies.

Clarkson's philosophy had been that his club's best midfielders, such as Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Brad Sewell, should stay on the field as long as possible.

"That just wasn't cutting it," Clarkson said.

"When you compare it against a guy like Dane Swan, who was having a bigger impact than what our players were, yet he was playing 15-20 per cent less game time, it just didn't really make sense.

"But when you've got a whole group of Collingwood players that are doing that, and doing it so efficiently, that was the most significant wake-up call."

The Hawks' decision to overhaul their approach in-season was quickly vindicated, achieving the rare feat of turning a 1-6 record into a finals appearance.

It was further validated by their late-season performances against the top four.

Geelong pipped them by two points, but they beat the Western Bulldogs, drew with St Kilda and remain the last club to down the Magpies.

They have spent the current pre-season trying to again become tactical trendsetters.

"We're hopeful we're right at the forefront of that," Clarkson said.

"If we're not then we probably won't feature in the last Saturday in September. But if we are, we give ourselves a great chance."

Hawthorn also want to shed the unsociable football tag that was a hallmark of their 2008 triumph.

While there has been a lot to like about their uncompromising physical approach, the cost in free kicks and 50m penalties has become too great.

It is not just belief in their tactical direction that has Hawthorn confident about 2011.

While their injuries hid other issues, they undoubtedly also contributed to their terrible start last year.

They started last season missing ruck options Max Bailey, Simon Taylor and Wayde Skipper, along with Sewell, Shaun Burgoyne, Cyril Rioli and Clinton Young, while then-captain Mitchell and defender Josh Gibson also missed chunks of games during their early-season slump.

This year, they will enter round one virtually at full strength and importantly, with star players such as Rioli and Burgoyne having benefited hugely from full pre-seasons.

They should improve in the ruck, after recruiting David Hale from North Melbourne to join Brent Renouf, with Hale's ability in attack also handy.

"We thought we just couldn't afford, with this group of players, not to be formidable in the ruck combination, it's been an area of our club that has been okay but not a real strength," Clarkson said.

There is hope Bailey, coming off his third knee reconstruction, can finally add to his six-game career.

The versatility and talent of ex-Melbourne star recruit Cameron Bruce also has Clarkson excited, while another former Demon Kyle Cheney and mature-aged draftees Isaac Smith and Paul Puopolo, along with the development of some youngsters, have the coach very confident in Hawthorn's depth.

"We reckon we've got the cattle to be able to really challenge those top sides."

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