Essendon has emerged victorious by 19 points over Hawthorn as their developing rivalry produced a physical and entertaining clash at Frankston's Kinetic Stadium on Saturday night.
The Hawks were able to break the game open in patches, but it was Essendon which came out on top, winning the ball at the source to record a 7.7 (49) to 4.6 (30) victory.
The ball lived in Essendon's forward half early as it dominated around the contest off the back of Madi Prespakis and the returning Georgia Nanscawen, but a fightback from Bec Goddard's side made for a contest-heavy armwrestle.
Prespakis asserted her influence when they last met (26 touches and a goal) and picked up where she left off, collecting 31 disposals and laying six tackles, while Emily Bates was equally impressive in her first game for the Hawks (19 disposals, 16 tackles).
Playing to their strengths, the Bombers found short targets and created space, utilising the breeze of the bay end which is a scoring hotspot at the ground.
Six players donned the long sleeve guernseys as the frost set in, but both teams were clean with the ball early, lowering their eyes and hitting targets.
Essendon capitalised on its inside-50 dominance through Bonnie Toogood, Jess Wuetscher and Sophie Alexander, but in a flip of the script, the Hawks got busy with immense pressure work of their own - laying 30 tackles to 11 in the second quarter.
Powerhouse Tamara Luke (10 disposals, 42 hitouts) slipped seamlessly back into the No.1 ruck position for Hawthorn while Stephanie Wales also held her own, showing great signs of development on the back of a strong season seven campaign.
Hawthorn's pressure would have been a familiar sight for AFL coach Sam Mitchell as he watched on, with tackling seeming to be a club-wide focus - so much so that Alexander soon shifted behind the ball to steady an under-siege Essendon side.
A strong contest between Kristy Stratton and Prespakis saw the latter come off second best, leaving the ground at the beginning of the third term with a rib complaint. She did, however, return shortly after in a sigh of relief for Essendon fans.
The Bombers regained momentum through Toogood (two goals and 23) as they broke the deadlock to dominate the second half. Bates, however, continued to impress in a Hawks outfit that showed great resilience.
Following an electric three-quarter-time dance display, Essendon found a groove of its own, with goals to Daria Bannister and Amelia Radford handing the Bombers a game-high 27-point lead that placed the game out of reach for a resilient Hawks outfit.
One to watch
After an ACL injury which left her out of the side for the better part of season seven, Tamara Luke re-established herself as Hawthorn's No.1 ruck option. Emerging star Lucy Wales is currently sidelined with a thigh injury, but with doubt spreading pre-game on how her role would be filled, Luke stepped up to the plate, finishing behind only Bates in Hawthorn's best and recording 42 hitouts.
The moment
Essendon was vocal about its ambition to improve its defensive prowess over the pre-season. Coach Natalie Wood sent Sophie Alexander behind the ball in the second term to essentially bring the brown-and-gold tidal wave to a halt, proving that their mission had been accomplished. Despite Hawthorn dominating forward territory, Alexander - combining with her namesake Sophie Van De Heuvel - brought a level of composure that provided the Dons with newfound depth.
Up next
Both teams will head to battle next Sunday - Hawthorn will travel to Ballarat to face the Western Bulldogs at Mars Stadium, while Essendon will return to Windy Hill where it will meet St Kilda.
HAWTHORN 1.0 3.3 3.4 4.6 (30)
ESSENDON 2.2 3.2 5.4 7.7 (49)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Hipwell, McDonagh, Brown, Gilroy
Essendon: Toogood 2, Alexander, Wuetschner, Clarke, Bannister, Radford
BEST
Hawthorn: Bates, Luke, Lucas-Rodd, Smith, Fleming
Essendon: Toogood, Prespakis, Nanscawen, Wales, Alexander
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
Essendon: Prespakis (ribs)
Reports: Tamara Smith reported for a dangerous tackle on Bonnie Toogood
Crowd: 3722 at Kinetic Stadium
