MELBOURNE'S inability to set up a scoring opportunity from the back half was just one of many concerns from Friday night's loss to Hawthorn.

The Demons struggled to win stoppages, hard balls and generally get to the football first.

But for many of the 25 times they did have time to launch an attack from one end of the ground to the other, they struggled to break the intense pressure from Hawthorn.

The Hawks let them off at times with poor kicking for goal, finishing with 25 behinds. But many of them came from second chances they got from turning over Melbourne's initial kick-in.

One of the players bringing the ball back into play was James Frawley, who often found himself with little option but to go long and wide to a contest in the hope it might result in a Melbourne mark.

He said Melbourne's lack of flow from one end of the ground to the other could come down to a sense of urgency in bringing the ball back into play.

"It’s a tough one. We've got targets down there and structures set up. Sometimes it breaks down and sometimes it goes through," Frawley said.

"Maybe tonight we didn't play on quick enough. We were probably a bit slow kicking out."

Where once he would not have been the first choice to take the kick-in, Frawley said he took pride in playing such a pivotal role in setting up goal scoring opportunities and would continue to work on it.

"I suppose a big improvement for me has been my kicking. When I first came in I was probably rated as an average kick and I've kept working on it," he said.

"It was more a responsibility for the backline players, whoever is the closest there, just get it out so we can get it in our forward line as quick as possible."

Melbourne coach Mark Neeld envisions Frawley being a designated kicker for a while to come.

"James is going to be a key defender at the club for a long time and he has got some pace. He is really good defensively," Neeld said.

"Giving him the responsibility to kick out comes from me and it is certainly an area he is improving on. I reckon for us to continue to get better and getting quality rebound by hand or foot is important."