EASING back into the swing of things on his return from injury wasn’t an option for Grant Birchall on Saturday.

Hawthorn’s defence found itself under the pump against fierce rival Essendon, especially in the first half, as the Bombers went inside their forward 50 on 26 occasions.

But Birchall, playing his first game in more than a month, was more than up to the task and relished being back on the park. 

“It was good to get out there again, it’s been a while,” he said.

“I felt fresh… I was blowing pretty early but it was good to get the cobwebs out and (I) ran the game out pretty well, which was a good result.”

The no-nonsense, triple-premiership defender fitted seamlessly into the Hawks’ defensive six.

His return was even more important when key defender James Frawley was subbed out with a shoulder injury in the second quarter.

Birchall finished with 23 disposals, seven marks and five inside 50s, playing 74% game time. 

The win over the Bombers sees the Hawks jump to fourth spot on the ladder, but the 27-year-old said the Hawks knew they had plenty of work ahead of them.

“All we can do is keep winning hopefully and we’ve got a big game next week against Collingwood, who are playing some really good footy,” he said.

“We’ll just try to get the job done each week.

“It’s good to get that game under my belt and hopefully can continue to improve and get better.”