Hawthorn has gone down to Melbourne by 55-points at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
The Demons as good as put the contest to bed in the opening term, leading by 32 points at the first break on the way to the 14.9 (93) to 5.8 (38) win at the MCG.
The Hawks played a high-possession game of 'keepings off' early, but had little affect when they didn't have the ball.
Hawthorn had a whopping 52 uncontested marks in the opening term, but that did not bother the Melbourne as it dominated clearances 11-1 and the inside 50s 14-5.
Sam Mitchell tweaked the game plan and his side won the second term on the scoreboard but couldn't make serious inroads into the sizable margin.
They outscored the Demons in the second term with two goals to one.
In a highlight for Hawks fans, Nick 'Wizard' Watson kicked his first AFL goal, after kicking 0.3 on debut last week and another 0.3 early against Melbourne.
When his set shot went through in the third term, Watson turned to the crowd and celebrated.
In round 23 last season, Hawthorn tagging specialist Finn Maginness kept Melbourne star Clayton Oliver to just 14 disposals - easily the ball magnet's lowest return for the year.
So it was no surprise that Maginness went to him after the first centre bounce.
The Hawks put work into Oliver, including a heavy bump from Jai Newcombe, and the Demons star finished the opening term on the bench.
May left the ground just before half-time after meeting Mabior Chol from the opposite direction in a marking contest, the big Demon subbed out and taken to hospital by ambulance soon afterwards.
Not long after the game restarted Lever left the field with a knee concern, sitting on the bench for the rest of the afternoon before saying post-match he may be in doubt for one or two weeks.
With the two key defenders out of the game Hawthorn must have sensed an opportunity, but wayward kicking for goal cost dearly before Melbourne turned the heat up to cruise to the win.
Wayward Wizard finally finds his magic
After kicking 0.3 against Essendon in round one, Nick Watson’s nerves would have been a little shaky in front of goal, and they would have been a whole lot worse halfway through Saturday’s game when he had added another trio of points without yet registering a major. So when, late in the third quarter, he lined up for his seventh shot on goal, the 19-year-old’s legs must have been more than a tad wobbly. However, Watson's waywardness couldn't last forever and the ball sailed through, registering the first of what should be many career goals in the future.
When a high marks equals a low final grade
Sam Mitchell went into Saturday knowing his side needed to bring a different sort of game if it was to challenge Melbourne, and he decided on Keepings Off. The Hawks dominated the marks tally in the first quarter as they chipped around the ground and amassed over 50 uncontested grabs, yet trailed by 32 points at the change. They went a little more conventional in the second quarter and managed to outscore Melbourne by a goal, yet still went to the long break with 74 marks to 33. At the final siren Hawthorn still led the mark and possession count, but the plan had little effect on the result.
HAWTHORN 0.1 2.3 4.6 5.8 (38)
MELBOURNE 5.3 6.5 10.7 14.9 (93)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Weddle, Watson, McDonald, Lewis, Breust
Melbourne: Fritsch 5, Pickett 3, Chandler 2, van Rooyen, Petracca, Billings, Sparrow
BEST
Hawthorn: Sicily, Weddle, Amon, Scrimshaw, Worpel
Melbourne: Petracca, Fritsch, Neal-Bullen, Salem, Rivers
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
Melbourne: May (ribs), Lever (knee)
SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: Jack Gunston, replaced Luke Breust in the third quarter.
Melbourne: Marty Hore, replaced Steven May at half-time.
Crowd: TBC at the MCG
