Early waywardness
Hawthorn was left to rue some early chances that went begging on Sunday. The Hawks had five scoring shots by the time the Tigers registered their first goal through Jack Higgins. Suddenly the brown and gold dominance of the first 10 minutes only had a four-point lead to show for it. Among those guilty of opening term misses, Luke Breust missed two relatively routine shots for goal, while the normally reliable Jack Gunston, Jaeger O'Meara and Liam Shiels also put good opportunities wide of the target.
Ceglar strong
Losing Ben McEvoy and Mitch Lewis earlier in the match, Jonathon Ceglar was forced to shoulder the bulk of the ruck duties. In the absence of his fellow 200cm teammates, Ceglar stepped up in a big way, recording a career-high 26 disposals along with a game-high four contested marks. With six senior games now under his belt in 2019, the 28-year-old seems to be building with each outing.
Breust breaking away
Luke Breust is quietly putting together a strong season in the Hawthorn forward line. Despite a slow-ish opening month to the season by his standards (registering just one goal in three of the first four games), Breust now has 19 goals to his name. Only six players in the competition have booted more than the two-time All Australian Hawk. Furthermore, Breust is the only sub-188cm tall player in the league to have kicked at least 19 goals.
The context of clearances
The Hawks and Tigers finished relatively even in most statistical categories on Sunday. Richmond had just two more inside 50s, three more marks inside 50 and finished square with the Hawks in tackles - it is difficult to find a glaring explanation for the ultimate six-goal difference between the two sides. But it was in the clinches where Damien Hardwick’s side was able to gain an advantage. Despite an even opening term, the Tigers cemented their dominance in this area early, with 10 breaks from stoppage compared to the Hawks’ two.
