As a media commentator and football director at Hawthorn, Jason Dunstall, like many in the football industry, is, at times, compromised.

In his role providing match-day special comments on Melbourne's Triple M Radio, the former champion spearhead has also been peppered recently about the Hawks' woeful form since claiming the 2008 premiership.

So torrid has that unravelling been that the Hawks have won just 11 of 30 matches since that glorious September afternoon, and the fragmentation of a club that once prided itself on keeping internal matters private has become obvious.

Dunstall has never been one to give too much away but recently the frustration of a season gone horribly wrong, compounded by last year becoming the first team to miss the finals the year after winning the flag, has started to show.

''That's what happens when clubs go through times. If we were 6-1 and not 1-6, no-one would care,'' he said of the media spotlight on the club.

''It's almost like the scent of a carcass. The vultures swarm and they start picking away.''

The attack was widely reported, but not so was the discontent it caused among some high-ranking club officials and players.

There was talk in the football world last week that senior Hawthorn players had expressed their displeasure to club powerbrokers. Confirming these rumours are never easy, so it was over to Dunstall again last weekend.

"I think it's important you get contributions from all parts of the club, players as much as anyone else need to have their input in what they think is the best practice," he said when asked on radio.

"Are they happy? I don't know. Maybe they just are voicing concerns, if it happened."

Was that a "yes" we heard somewhere in that response?

Kennett's reign isn't due to end until late next year, and it's understood he is keen to serve his full term.

"There are no suggestions we will be making changes," Dunstall said.

Watch this space.

The Kennett sideshow has been one of many problems in the past eight months which have hurt the "family club".

Last year's handling of the failed Campbell Brown trade to Port Adelaide for Shaun Burgoyne was ugly at best, embarrassing at worst. While Brown has responded in typical style - with on-field gusto and remains high on coach Alastair Clarkson's official point-scoring chart for defensive efforts - the damage was done.

Burgoyne eventually did make it to Glenferrie, err Waverley, but took until last week's uninspiring win over Richmond to debut for the club after a series of injuries.

There are those who feel the Hawks should have gone after ruckman Darren Jolly, particularly in wake of another serious knee serious to Max Bailey late last year. That fellow ruckmen Simon Taylor and Wade Skipper are, or were, injured has added to the frustration.

There are conflicting stories as to whether the Hawks pursued Jolly, now at Collingwood, with enough vigour, or at all, after he announced he wanted to leave the Swans.

''Jolly would really have helped the Hawks early in the year but Burgoyne is class. You'll need to wait to see how Burgoyne goes before a final call can be made on that," a rival recruiting manager said.

That discarded midfielders Ben McGlynn and Josh Kennedy have enjoyed strong seasons with Sydney has further brought into question the Hawks' trading philosophy. That duo could have been more than handy while Sam Mitchell missed three matches with a hamstring and Brad Sewell four.

There's no doubt injuries have shattered the Hawks, with Trent Croad's retirement on the eve of the season arguably the most painful. Croad, who never again played after injuring his foot in the '08 grand final, had the big body needed to underpin the defensive half and Clarkson's rolling zone.

Josh Gibson was lured from North Melbourne in acrimonious circumstances to help fill the void but, as luck would have it, his season has been derailed after ripping a hamstring.

This has upped the heat on Tom Murphy and Stephen Gilham to fill the key defensive posts, but both have struggled, with Murphy the favoured whipping boy of disgruntled talkback radio callers.

Perhaps more of a concern has been that the commitment of a handful of senior players has been scrutinised, on the training track and on match-day. Former club champions have questioned if the required hunger for success has really been prevalent in the past two years.

Dermott Brereton launched a scathing critique in wake of the insipid round-six loss to Essendon. He questioned not only the players' commitment but Clarkson's game plan, based on the so-called "Clarko's cluster".

Kennett subsequently put the entire club "on notice" after that defeat, with Clarkson admitting "the buck stops with me". The loss was perhaps even more galling for Clarkson as he had held a meeting with the leadership group leading in the clash, backing the team to come good.

What hasn't come good has been his defensive zone. It dumbfounded rivals in '08 but is now common, with several clubs doing it better. The breakdown of Clarkson's cluster, which allowed the Hawks to defend in numbers, has meant the likes of Gilham, Murphy and Ryan Schoenmakers have had to go one out against opponents - and have been exposed.

Speaking on his weekly BackPageLead podcast on Monday, Wayne Carey said some defenders were struggling to cope with the need to be accountable. "The zone defence and how they won the flag, sides have worked out,'' Carey said.

''All of a sudden these players have to be accountable when they play down back and they have to play one-on-one footy. That's not how they won the premiership. They were playing a zone, they were playing great team footy. Now they have to get back to basics and play some good one-on-one footy and win their own ball, their contested ball."

But Carey said that was just one reason for their problems: "I think injuries have played a huge part, I definitely think attitude as well and the players have lost a lot of confidence. I am sure there are three or four other reasons as well. But right now they are a quarter of the side they were when they won the flag."

A dual premiership captain in a team that reached seven straight preliminary finals, Carey said a team's 'greatness' could only be measured by a period of prolonged success - not a single season. "That's why we rate the Brisbanes, and we're now comparing Geelong to Brisbane, and I would like to put the Kangaroos in there of the ‘90s, because it was sustained success over a long period of time. To have that desire and that want to get up again and perform again. Right now, the Hawks don't look like they want that contest."

The spotlight has also turned on the likes of Jarryd Roughead, Michael Osborne, Grant Birchall, Rick Ladson and Xavier Ellis, with Hawks' supporters questioning whether any have improved since' 08.

Roughead this week admitted the Hawks had not kept pace with rivals since their premiership year.

''I think when we won the premiership a lot of those boys were 20, 21, 22 so they are all still evolving and improving and obviously other teams are watching us and trying to bridge the gap on how good we were back then,'' Roughead said.

''Obviously every team catches up to you and you have to try and set the bar higher and go again."

But can they? While it's ridiculous to suggest the '08 premiership was a fluke, there is a theory in the football world that perhaps that squad had just the one premiership in the tank.

That's not to belittle that achievement, just to suggest the team wasn't built for a Geelong-type dynasty.

"That's true. Everything may have clicked that year," said the rival recruiter.

"They were renowned for that so-called unsociable footy back in 2008 when they just went at you and there were was no let-up.

"That hasn't really been the case since midway through last year. Certainly not this year, although Campbell Brown has been fantastic.

"But is that a case of not having the cattle or the intensity falling off? Probably both.

"There's work there that needs to be done but it may be too late this season to make up ground."