1. Richmond is the real deal
This was the victory Richmond needed after coming desperately close to knocking off ladder-leaders Fremantle last weekend.
After shaking off a desperate Hawthorn challenge late in the match, the Tigers won their 11th game of the season and took their biggest scalp in a number of years.
It was the manner in which Richmond won that was the most impressive element.
Richmond had a clear strategy to deny the Hawks access to the ball for long periods of the game, and the game plan was executed superbly.
Led by Anthony Miles and the Tigers' game-breaker Brett Deledio, Richmond outhunted, outsmarted and thoroughly outplayed the flag fancy to stamp itself as a legitimate premiership contender.
2. Hawthorn is fallible
The Hawks had chalked up eight consecutive wins, including emphatic victories over Fremantle, the Sydney Swans and Carlton in the past three weeks by an average of 100 points.
But the Tigers did not buckle under the weight of the challenge and took it right up to the Hawks to record a well-deserved victory.
The Tigers locked down on speedster Bradley Hill and their defensive work on Jarryd Roughead and Jack Gunston was first-rate, led by Alex Rance.
But what it all boiled down to was Richmond's pressure around the ball and ability to win one-on-one battles.
3. Tigers put the clamps on
For the first time this season, Hawthorn was held goalless in the opening term.
The Hawks had won 11 first quarters for the year before they were thoroughly outplayed in Friday night's clash against the Tigers.
It was also Hawthorn's lowest quarter-time score since round 22, 2011 when it managed one behind in a game against the Sydney Swans.
Richmond kicked 3.4, with all three majors coming off Brett Deledio's boot, to Hawthorn's three behinds, and the dominance stemmed from the Tigers' ability to control the footy.
They had 38 uncontested marks to the Hawks' 12, primarily employing slow and patient ball movement. The Tigers then held Hawthorn goalless for a second time in the third quarter.
4. Frawley's rough night
Playing his first AFL game since dislocating his shoulder against Essendon in round 13, James Frawley had a tough night.
First he was reported for rough conduct on Richmond spearhead Jack Riewoldt in the second quarter, and was then forced to sit out 20 minutes after being assessed for concussion.
On review of the replay, Frawley does not look like he has much to worry about for what the umpire paid as a sling tackle.
In fact, it appeared Frawley even tried to hold Riewoldt up in the tackle.
5. Bittersweet milestone for Clarko
Alastair Clarkson will quite rightly go down in history as one of Hawthorn's greatest ever coaches.
The Hawks' talisman has led the club to three premiership victories (2008, 2013 and 2014) and a Grand Final in 2012.
His coaching successes have been well highlighted, but on Friday night Clarkson became just the second Hawk to coach the club to 250 games.
John Kennedy snr. is the longest-serving coach at Hawthorn, with 299 games in charge from 1960-63 and again from 1967-1976.
It was not a happy ending for Clarkson against the Tigers, but it is an achievement worth celebrating.
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