HAWTHORN has survived a brief scare from North Melbourne to cruise to a 39-point win in a spiteful clash at the MCG on Saturday.
The Hawks seemed set for a percentage booster when they rammed on seven unanswered goals in the game's opening 20 minutes, and nine of the first 11 majors to lead by 48 points at the 13-minute mark of the second term.
However, the Roos rallied, kicking four answered goals before half-time and two of the first three goals of the second half to close to within 13 points midway through the third quarter.
But that was as close as North could get, with the Hawks kicking the final four goals of the game to close out a 14.12 (96) to 8.9 (57) victory.
Sam Mitchell (a game-high 36 possessions) was outstanding for the Hawks in the midfield and his work in the clinches was well supported by Isaac Smith's (33) outside run.
Grant Birchall (24 possessions) and Josh Gibson (22) were creative across half-back, Cyril Rioli kicked three goals, and Jonathon Ceglar and Ben McEvoy effectively double-teamed Todd Goldstein to take the ruck points.
North's loss was its eighth in the 11 games since it opened the season with a club-record 9-0 run, and keeps St Kilda's faint finals hopes alive.
The Roos will no doubt be ruing a blown chance midway through the third term when they seemed to have all the momentum.
At the time, they had closed to within 13 points after consecutive goals to Drew Petrie and Lindsay Thomas, and looked set to mount another attack when a short pass was put down Andrew Swallow's throat at half-forward.
But the North skipper inexplicably botched a simple mark and the Hawks rushed the ball down the ground and quelled the Roos' momentum with a Luke Breust goal.
North did not score another goal after that despite regular forays forward that too often were short-circuited by skill errors.
The Roos' loss could be soured further with Brent Harvey likely to face scrutiny from the Match Review Panel after he appeared to make high contact with Sam Mitchell in the third quarter with a late roundhouse spoil.
Robbie Tarrant (19 possessions and 10 marks) was a standout in defence all day for North, Jack Ziebell (22 possessions) battled hard through the midfield and Drew Petrie (three goals) stood up in the absence of regular forward-line partners Jarrad Waite and Ben Brown.
The Hawks exploded from the blocks at the start of Saturday's game.
They made the Roos look like witches' hats at times,kicking over and around their defences, bursting past them on the run and, when a North player did catch up with them, too often brushing them aside with 'don't argues' Dustin Martin would have been proud of.
North, as it did against the Western Bulldogs last round, struggled to move the ball forward with any fluency, the Hawks' pressure regularly forcing them to go backwards and sideways. When the Roos did go forward, their foot skills weren't sharp enough to inflict any damage on Hawthorn.
The Roos did not score until the 26-minute mark of the first quarter, when Todd Goldstein converted a set shot from 30m.
But Luke Breust answered with a brilliant dribble goal less than two minutes later to send Hawthorn into the first break with an imposing 46-point lead.
The Hawks stretched their lead to a game-high48 points midway through the second term when Paul Puopolo goaled.
But the reigning premiers did not score again for the term as North, who had scored the first goal of the quarter through Petrie, slammed on the next four goals to go into half-time with some hope and just 23 points down.
MEDICAL ROOM
Hawthorn: Ruckman Ben McEvoy copped a knock to the nose in the first quarter and had to come from the ground several times during the game to stem the bleeding.
North Melbourne: Lachlan Hansen limped down into North's rooms at three-quarter time to have an ankle injury assessed after he landed heavily in a marking contest. The key defender returned to finish the game.
NEXT UP
The Hawks face a tough assignment next round, when they will travel to Perth's Domain Stadium to play West Coast off a six-day break on Friday night. The Roos take on the Sydney Swans at their Blundstone Arena home away from home, where they have won their past eight matches.
HAWTHORN 8.4 9.7 11.9 14.12 (96)
NORTH MELBOURNE 1.0 6.2 8.7 8.9 (57)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Rioli 3, Breust 2, Puopolo 2, Gunston, Ceglar, Langford, Lewis, Burton, Hill, Birchall
North Melbourne: Petrie 3, Gibson 2, Goldstein, Nahas, Thomas
BEST
Hawthorn: Smith, Mitchell, Hill, Birchall, Gibson, Lewis, Rioli
North Melbourne: Tarrant, Ziebell, Dal Santo, Petrie, Gibson, Macmillan
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Duryea (knee/ankle), Hartung (leg)
North Melbourne: Hansen (ankle)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Findlay, Jeffery, McInerney
Official crowd: 50,657 at the MCG
