The VFLW Hawks have well and truly cemented their place in the finals after defeating the Darebin Falcons on Saturday by 53 points.
Under blue skies at home in Box Hill, Hawthorn was the dominant side of the day, even with the loss of AFLW-listed players such as Eliza Shannon and Tegan Cunningham.
Jenna Richardson and Kristen Hay - two of the strongest players in the backline - were also notably missing.
However, their absence provided the opportunity for others to shine, such as Isabelle Porter, who had 18 disposals for the match.
It was a slow start in the opening quarter, with the first goal of the game coming from Jessie Williams at the 15-minute mark.
The Falcons proved to be a fit and agile competitor, halting Hawthorn’s ability to make much of an impact on the scoreboard.
The Hawks only led by two points at quarter-time, spurring a captain’s talk in the break.
In the second term, Hawthorn moved more decisively and finally made some scoring impact.
Continued shots on goal were unrewarded, but the Hawks displayed stronger control of the ball in their forward line.
The jubilation from a goal by Kristy Stratton was tempered by the injury of Nadia von Bertouch, who was taken down mid-contest.
However, the play of the day came off the boot of Sky Wilson, who kicked back-to-back goals on debut.
There was support from all over the ground, as every teammate celebrated the milestone goal.
Coach Cherie O’Neill seemed more pleased with her group’s efforts in the second quarter but delivered a message at halftime to keep being creative with the ball.
“Don’t keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result,” O’Neill said.
Darebin continued to show its fierceness in the third quarter, as neither side was able to make a mark on the scoreboard for the majority of the term.
Hawthorn’s backline proved to be the strongest force on the ground and wouldn’t allow the ball to penetrate.
Finally, with two minutes left on the clock in the third term, a stirring goal from Grace McRae made the crowd sit up and pay attention.
The final quarter opened with a goal from the Falcons, just to remind the Hawks that there were still 20 minutes left and anything could happen.
However, the Hawks soon responded, with goals from Stratton, Williams and Jordan Mifsud sealing their fate.
Hawthorn will now turn its attention to next Saturday when it takes on Williamstown in the last match of the VFLW home and away season.
After that, the focus will be on the finals series, where the Hawks are placed with an excellent shot at the premiership.
HAWTHORN: 1.2 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 9.11 (65)
DAREBIN: 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 (12)
Goals: Williams (3), Stratton (2), Wilson (2), McRae, Mifsud
