HAWTHORN is back in the top eight, at least for the moment, but Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson remains unsure where his team rates in a tight competition.

The Hawks squared the ledger at 5-5 and took Port Adelaide's place in the top bracket when they disposed of the Power by 31 points at University of Tasmania Stadium on Saturday.

However, Clarkson says he doesn't know whether the Hawks' position flatters or undersells them.

HAWKS RETURN TO FORM Full match coverage and stats

"We've had to work really, really hard to get to 5-5. We haven't been significantly out of the games we've (lost) – we've lost a couple that have been really tight (and) we've fallen over late in games due to some injuries that we've had to cope with," Clarkson said after beating Port.

"It's really hard to get a read for the overall football community and even us as a footy club to know where we're at. Are we a little bit better than that or are we lucky that we're 5-5? I don't really know. I wish I did.

"All I do know is we're still alive in the season and we still feel like we've got some improvement in us in the second half of the year. But we acknowledge that there's 17 other clubs that think there's some improvement in them too, and there is.

"No team is playing their very, very best footy at the present time outside probably Geelong. The competition is very, very close."

WATCH Alastair Clarkson's full post-match media conference

The Hawks coach was hopeful young defender Jack Scrimshaw would be available for the big clash with Brisbane at the Gabba next Saturday night after he copped a knock to the knee on his dominant left leg. Before then, Scrimshaw had been playing well, gathering 17 possessions in just 42 per cent game time.

"We don't think it's too severe, but it wasn't good enough for him to return to the field. He's a young player so we don't want to take too many risks. We'll see how he recovers tomorrow, whether he needs a scan, but our docs don't think it's anything too significant," he said.

"Especially with knees and ankles and that sort of stuff, we don't like mucking around with young players, trying to perhaps give them a painkilling injection or something like that – we just don't think it's worth it. We had enough guys on our bench to rest him for the last part of the game."

GAMEBREAKER Gunston ginormous in Power blowout

Clarkson was full of praise for Hawks utility Jack Gunston, who recaptured his best form with a superb six-goal display.

"He's been playing okay for us but just hasn't converted his chances (and) he's had to play different roles for us. Today he was probably the difference between the two sides. On a pretty grubby day, his polish with the ball was pretty important for us securing the victory," he said.

He also enthused that midfielder Tom Scully was improving each week as he became more accustomed to the Hawks' system.