Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson has got 40 problems but a chokehold ban ain't one.
Clarkson fronted the press on Thursday for the first time since Brian Lake was given a four-match suspension by the AFL tribunal for his scrap with Drew Petrie in the Hawks' shock loss to North Melbourne.
The two-time premiership coach was unwilling to comment on the hearing or ban, instead focusing on Friday night's clash with Adelaide and bouncing back from a "really poor" outing.
"He (Lake) has had a lot of air time hasn't he? More than Tony Abbott in the last few days," Clarkson said.
"We've had Lakey for five games this season. It's round 17 and we've won 11 games, so it's not like we can't win without him."
Bradley Hill, a late withdrawal from the 20-point loss to the Kangaroos, has not recovered from a knee injury and will not tackle the Crows.
"He's nearly there ... all going well he'll be available for the game against Sydney (on July 26)," Clarkson said.
Brad Sewell (hamstring) is also sidelined, while prized ruck recruit Ben McEvoy earned a recall at the expense of veteran David Hale.
Not for the first time this season, Clarkson will be forced to restructure his side due to a series of key injuries.
Clarkson noted every club had to deal with the same issues.
"It's a brutal competition," he said.
Of more concern would be the Hawks' lack of discipline and outside run in the last-start defeat at Etihad Stadium.
"We're a lot better side than that," Clarkson said.
"There's a lot of things about our game that weren't too flash."
When pressed on which had attracted the most attention in the past week, Clarkson made it clear there were widespread issues.
"We haven't got one thing (to fix). We've got about 40 things," he said.
"...At the minute it looks like we're battling a little bit because we had a really poor performance last week.
"But it'll turn very quickly. We've got full faith in this group and our depth."
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