The Dees caused an upset and a half when they beat reigning premiers and ladder leaders Hawthorn by 29 points on Saturday afternoon, giving the football world a glimpse of the type of dynamic, talented team they might become.

But senior coach Paul Roos will only be able to watch from the sidelines, as succession planning sees him step down from the role at the end of the year.

Roos said he was very proud of his team and a great day for the club, as his young players celebrated victory as if they had won a grand final.

"[It was] great for a young group of players who are hopefully going to build something special together, it's important," he said.

Roos said Melbourne had played their best football of the year and he was most pleased with their staying power, even as Hawthorn surged at several points in the second half.

"It was a fantastic win, obviously, I think just the perserverance and playing for four quarters, we hadn't quite been able to do that against the better teams," he said.

Roos told the players after the game they should use the win, against the league's long-time standard bearers, to drive them over the next few weeks and more importantly, through the off-season.

He hoped it would help form a bond within the group that would keep them improving.

"They're the wins that you can build special things off," he said.

"Hopefully they remember the feeling of walking off the MCG and being a very, very good team."

It was the end of a nine-game winning streak for the Hawks, but coach Alastair Clarkson tried to play down the significance of his team's loss.

"We were a little bit off and the Demons were a little bit on," he said.

He said the game was pretty close for three-and-a-half quarters, but the Hawks fell away in the last 10 minutes of the game.

"That's a bit of a reflection of the younger side we've got on the park at the minute, but we've had a pretty young side for a fair duration of this year and been able to cope," he said.

"But today we just couldn't get enough consistent passages to really hurt the Melbourne side."

Captain Luke Hodge had played through a groin injury and Josh Gibson a hurt right ankle, while Ben Stratton had a problem with his left shoulder and left the ground.

Clarkson said Stratton had a pectoral injury, the severity of which was still unclear.

He would undergo scans during the week.

Clarkson said he was hopeful utility Paul Puopolo would be fit to play against North Melbourne next week, after missing with a sore hip.