Essendon midfielder Heath Hocking is confident the Bombers can return to the early season form that had the club battling for a top-four position.

Despite a heavy 65-point loss to rivals Hawthorn on Friday night, Hocking said hard work and remembering what had created this year's early success would see a return to form.

After their fifth consecutive defeat on Friday night, Essendon have fallen out of the top eight at the end of the round for the first time in 2011. Hocking said the group was still focusing on improving as a side and would regain its confidence by returning to the positive elements of their game that won them five and half games so early in the season.

''We need to look back on what we were doing right, which was a lot of stuff. We were getting a lot of inside 50s and our forwards were taking marks and scoring. I think we need to look back at that and try to get that feeling back,"" Hocking said.

''There is disappointment all around [from Friday], but the boys are still developing and trying to improve. We will get back on the track on this week.

‘'We were up early, through the NAB Cup and the early part of the year, and there was always going to be a bit of a lull during the season but it is disappointing it has to be five weeks. The boys are confident we will get it back, and that is what we need, belief in ourselves that we can do it. To us, outside influences don't matter,"" he said.

The 23-year-old has continued on from the consistent form of 2010, which saw him come second in the club's best and fairest. His 22 disposals against the Hawks, 12 of them contested, put him amongst Essendon's best players on Friday night. Still, his own good form was little consolation after the Bombers lost heavily.

''It's great to play well but it is always disappointing when you lose. I feel we just didn't come to play and they jumped us in the first half.''

The Hawks grabbed control of the game early and had far too much run for the Bombers in the first half. Hawthorn did all the damage in the second quarter, where they kicked eight goals to one.

''In the first half, we didn't match them in the midfield with our intensity in the midfield. We let them have the short kicks, they capitalised on it, they are a good short kicking team, and that is where we need to get better,'' Hocking said after the match.

''To the boys' credit, in the second half we did go with them and we didn't get blown away, which is a positive in a way, but we are really just disappointed all around.''

Hocking said after half-time, the Bombers wanted to concentrate on winning more of the contested ball.

''We just wanted to start again, and get back to what we have been doing, which is our contested footy and really trying to defend the ground better, things we didn't do in the first half.''

The Bombers were again hit by injury. Captain Jobe Watson and fellow midfielder David Myers are expected to miss three weeks each after the pair both strained hamstrings. Forward Sam Lonergan was subbed out of the match during the second quarter, as he tore a suspected medial ligament in his left knee.

Hocking said the injuries did affect the teams' confidence but other members of the midfield will need to stand up to replace their injured teammates.

''It's tough, we have had two really good midfielders who have gone down [on Friday] and it doesn't help the midfield, but the players around will have to lift and I guess, do what we have been trained to do and fill the gaps,'' Hocking said.