Port Adelaide loomed as a daunting assignment.
The number one side in the competition for contested possessions, clearances and inside 50s and with a cold and wet day forecast for Launceston, it seemed the odds were stacked in its favour.
Hawthorn simply had to jump the Power and own the game from both an offensive and defensive standpoint from the get-go.
As it happened, that is exactly what the Hawks did.
Alastair Clarkson’s side held Port scoreless in the opening term – just the second time it had failed to score in a first quarter throughout its 23 seasons in the AFL.
It became the third time in four weeks that the Power had not recorded a first-quarter major, but for the Hawks to not even allow an attempt was an extra feather in the brown and gold cap.
The dominance Hawthorn sought in the early stages of the game was reflected in its ascendancy in key areas, leading the inside 50 count 16-6, clearances 12-9 (Jon Ceglar with a quarter-high four to his name) and tackles 29-13.
The Hawks never relinquished the lead for the duration of the game.
A 25-point quarter-time buffer proved pivotal as the Power never got within three goals of the Hawks.
