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CARLTON assistant coach Matthew Lappin says his side needs to be harder at the ball and more committed when it meets teams such as Hawthorn.

The Hawks have won the last five clashes between the sides, with last year's two defeats totalling 178 points.

But this year the Hawks are sitting ninth with an injury list that refuses to shrink, while the Blues are third after a cracking 43-point win over the Western Bulldogs on the weekend.

Lappin said reviewing previous games against the 2008 premiers was a sobering reminder of what his side needed to bring on Saturday afternoon.

"It can be helpful in terms of intensity – we go back and look at those and hopefully we can make sure we can put in a better performance, because the last four or five times we've played them they've really put us to the sword," he said at Visy Park on Friday.

"You can look back on those tapes and look at how insipid some of our efforts were, or how much harder at the ball they were than us.

"It doesn't matter which players you've got out on the field, the way you attack the ball should be unconditional, so we're able to look back on those and say 'OK, we didn't go at the ball hard enough', let's see if we can bring that this week.

"If our guys turn up this week underprepared, they're kidding themselves – we're coming up against the reining premiers who are hell-bent on getting a victory and working their way back up the ladder.

"We need to bounce back this week and make sure we consolidate our position."

Lappin said star forward Brendan Fevola had trained well with a couple of good sessions after his terrific effort against the Dogs.

Greg Bentley, who played 21 matches for Port Adelaide over three seasons, has been elevated from the rookie list to play this week, and a major reason is his attack on the ball, which got him the nod over senior-listed players like Richard Hadley and Mitch Robinson.

"His form's been terrific at VFL level, and he brings a lot of hardness to our side and a bit of predictability in the way he plays the game," Lappin said.

 "We know what we're going to get from Greg when he turns up on the weekend, and hopefully that'll strengthen our side.

"Robinson, Hadley – they were both really good. Steven Browne, Joey Anderson, so there's some pressure coming from underneath.

"I hinted a little bit earlier on how at times we've played the Hawks and we haven't quite been hard enough in a few areas.

"That's probably the box that Greg Bentley ticks."