HAWTHORN legend and four-time AFL premiership coach Leigh Matthews says he wouldn’t be writing off the three-time reigning premiers just yet.

The Hawks suffered a 75-point loss to GWS Giants on Saturday night, their first defeat by more than 10 goals since Round 9, 2012.

But Matthews believes if the Hawks can make the eight, anything is possible.

“They just need to qualify, really, because they’re proven – they can play at the MCG on Grand Final day,” Matthews said on Channel 7’s Game Day on Sunday.

“At the start of the year, the players they lost, and no-one really came in that was going to make them better… I thought Hawthorn always looked like they were going to stabilise at best, and then (Jarryd) Roughead got injured.”

The Hawks are sitting at 4-2 after six rounds, in eighth place on the ladder.

While the side has found scoring tougher than in recent years – its percentage sits at a lowly 91.8 per cent – Matthews said it wouldn’t rule Hawthorn out of contention for this year’s premiership.

“They’re certainly in contention,” he said.

“But it’s always a bit of a soul search when a team kicks 24 goals against you and you get beaten by 75 points. That hasn’t happened to Hawthorn in recent times, I wouldn’t have thought.”