Hodge says Hawks' AFL attitude must change

After Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson forecast catastrophic change, veteran Luke Hodge says it is up to the players to put in a better effort.

Veteran Luke Hodge has put the heat on the Hawthorn players, saying the biggest change at the struggling AFL club must be their attitude.

Saturday's resounding 75-point loss to St Kilda ended their 19-game winning streak in Launceston and had coach Alastair Clarkson warning of catastrophic change

It undid the good work from last weekend's win over West Coast and leaves the Hawks in deep trouble with a 1-5 record.

Before beating the Eagles, Hawthorn had also suffered beltings from Gold Coast and Geelong and Hodge said they are in uncharted waters.

"I guess it could go two ways, whether it's through selection or it's ... a change of game style," Hodge told Channel Seven's Game Day..

"Either way, it's the attitude of the players - in the space of a month, we can't have two 86-point losses and a 75-point loss.

"We're going to have some teething issues, we've brought in some new guys from other clubs.

"We have a lot of younger players coming into the side, but losses to that extent just don't cut it at AFL level.

"Clarko is right - if we can't put a better effort on the field, we're going to have to make quite a few changes."

Hodge added morale at the club is good and said they would not splinter, despite their poor form.

"Even thought we've had some big losses, it's still been a pretty good place to be around," he said.

"If you asked any person on our list, we're not going to shy away - we're going to work together.

"The worst thing we could do is start pointing fingers at each other - we're not going to do that."

While Tom Mitchell has made a successful start at Hawthorn, fellow high-profile midfield recruit Jaeger O'Meara was quiet on Saturday after returning from a fortnight out with a knee injury.

Hodge said it would be unfair to put the spotlight on O'Meara, who has a history of knee problems.

"Jaeger has played three games in two years," Hodge said.

"I don't think we had many good players apart from Tom Mitchell yesterday.

"To single out Jaeger after having a couple of games off, I think is pretty harsh."