Tough schedule hurting Hawks' combos

An extensive shake-up of personnel and a demanding early season schedule are behind the Hawks' alarming 1-5 start to the season, captain Oscar Forman says.

The Hawks are anchored at the bottom of the ladder, following five straight losses but are the only team to have played six games.

Forman said the schedule had limited quality time on the practice court to build the all-important team chemistry that has so far eluded the new-look Hawks.

They endured a similarly tough early run last season before coming to grips with coach Gordie McLeod's intricate style of play en route to the playoffs.

Forman sees no reason the Hawks can't repeat the effort this season.

"It's crazy, it's week three of the season and it feels like we're much further through it but it is early days," he said.

"It's easy to be caught up in the chaos of ... 'We're going on the road, we're going back home'. It's an incredibly tough schedule. It's the type of schedule you want when you're on the same page and you feel your team's sorted."

Forman admits the clock is ticking ahead of matches against defending champions Perth in Wollongong on Friday before Sunday's road game with Melbourne, but insists the Hawks aren't far off clicking.

"We are close. I know being close doesn't matter when you're losing games but if we look at our development and where we've come from we are getting better.

"The positive thing and the encouraging thing that keeps everyone going is that if we do all connect and get on the same page we could be amazing."