HAWTHORN captain Luke Hodge insists he was just going for the ball when he collided with Marc Murphy during the Hawks’ 15-point win over Carlton at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.  

Scans confirmed Murphy suffered a fractured cheekbone in the incident, with the Carlton captain facing up to a month on the sidelines.

Hodge escaped the clash without injury, and has told AFL.com.au the contact was not intentional.

"Of course you've got concern when you turn around," Hodge said.

"I went in for the ball and we clashed, and all I remember is going to follow up. It was a ball-up and I turned around and he was on the ground. The first thing, I was like, 'Gee, I hope he's OK'.

"I was going for the ball, and unfortunately there are hits like that in football."

Hodge's physicality at the contest was a feature of the game, and Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson commended his captain’s fierce attack at the ball after the match.

"The footy is there and he just goes hard at it," Clarkson said.

"Good luck if anyone gets in his way. Sometimes that's even his teammates. He's just got a real passion for the contest and it's one of the great features of our game, what we love about players who do that.

"He's just fortunate he's got the body strength and the desire to be able to carry out those types of plays on a frequent basis."

Jacqui Reed is a reporter at AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @JacquiReedAFL