Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse says there has been too much focus on the AFL's top two sides this season.

Malthouse says fourth-placed Hawthorn - who the Magpies face in a blockbuster game at the MCG on Sunday - have flown under the radar, even though they are one of several sides breathing down the necks of ladder leaders Geelong and reigning premiers Collingwood.

"Geelong right now are undefeated and we're the reigning premiers, so the focus seems to go to how those two top sides are going," Malthouse said on Thursday.

"But directly underneath us are three or four sides only one or two games off that and Hawthorn's one of those.

"Their form has been outstanding and I believe their kicking skills are the equal of any side I've ever seen, collectively."

Malthouse said the Hawks have been the major innovators in recent years.

"Our game is shuffled and shifted and, for a number of years now, it has gone in various directions, but Hawthorn actually defensively took it to a new level a few years ago," he said.

"Then Geelong took their mass possession rate from the mid 300s to 500, and I don't think we'd ever think a side would get the ball 500 times (in a game).

"Now the Hawks are either first or second in total disposals and we know they use it by foot better than anyone - so they've gone another level again.

"They're a very dangerous side and (forward Lance) Franklin coming back in the side makes them even more dangerous. He's one of the most influential players playing league football."

Hawthorn are missing a host of key players including forwards Cyril Rioli and Jarryd Roughead, midfielder Brad Sewell and key defenders Ryan Schoenmakers, Stephen Gilham and Ben Stratton (all injured), plus the suspended Jordan Lewis, but Malthouse said that was irrelevant.

Malthouse said the strengths of some of Hawthorn's younger players was a focus of Thursday morning's team strategy meeting.

"They're winning a lot ofgames and they're winning them because of these kids who are performing at a very, very high level - as high as their main players," he said.

"We're very aware of it."

However Malthouse said the Magpies won't be panicked into changing their tactics.

"I don't want to sound as if we know it all, because we don't, but this game structure has been in place now for three or four years.

"We've condensed it, we've shuffled it, we've screwed it down here and released it in other areas and it's served us well.

"We will worry about Hawthorn but we are not going to go, 'well, we need to change our whole structure'," he said.

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