Disappointed Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell said the Hawks recognised they still had ground to make up on the best teams after the loss with the Cats too strong in most areas despite the statistical measures.

He admitted they battled to cover the loss of James Sicily in defence but could not guarantee the captain would return from a shoulder injury to play Fremantle while Jack Ginnivan, who withdrew with a leg injury, remained some hope of returning for that match.

Lewis was injured in a heavy clash in the final quarter when trying to intercept a switch kick and was left limping and bleeding from the head as he left the ground, but Mitchell said he had not received a report from the doctors outlining whether he had been concussed or had sustained a leg injury. The coach said he had given the key forward a hug and hoped he would be available next week.

“We are far from a finished product,” Mitchell said. “When you watch the best teams play, that is what they look like. Even though we have had a good block of games and were playing some good footy I still think there is a gap from us and the teams at the top. [Geelong] handled everything that we threw at them with relative ease.”

Geelong face a huge clash against the out of form Collingwood next week, with Scott admitting the challenges in the tight competition just keep coming. He praised the performance of Shaun Mannagh who was excellent up forward in his first game since round three.

“He showed he could pressure and play the complete role that we ask of our forwards,” Scott said. “That group of medium (to) small-size forwards did a really good job tonight.”

Mitchell said, despite winning games on the trot, the Hawks knew they needed to improve more to be in the position they were aiming towards, and this game was a reality check. The Hawks battled to win territory, which meant they were always trying to build attacks from the back half against a well-drilled defence.