Sitting atop the AFL ladder after a huge Round 1 win over Melbourne, the Hawks made the trip to Subiaco to face a Fremantle side hungry for their first win of the season.
Star pair Luke Hodge and Campbell Brown were both welcomed back for the clash, with key defender Trent Croad forced out due to a wrist injury, while midfielder Tim Clarke also missed as the Hawks looked to continue an impressive start to their 2008 campaign.
QT: Consecutive goals to Dockers pair Ryan Crowley and Matthew Pavlich kicked things off for the home side, as key forward Jarryd Roughead got the Hawks on the board after marking in the goal square.
Fellow Hawk Tim Boyle then wowed the crowd with an incredible left-foot banana from the pocket, drawing scores level, before Fremantle again edged ahead after goalsneak Jeff Farmer kicked truly.
But it would be Lance Franklin who found the important goal in the latter stages of the quarter, giving the Hawks a two-point lead at the first break.
HT: Hawthorn blitzed ahead in the second term with five goals to one as the side’s forwards continued to wreak havoc.
Draftee Cyril Rioli got the Hawks on the board after just 26 seconds, running into goal after dancing around defender Roger Hayden, while Roughead found a second from long range minutes later.
Rioli again found the big sticks after being rewarded for an excellent tackle on defender Luke McPharlin, with Franklin soon after capping four in a row for the visitors.
Fremantle ruckman Aaron Sandilands pegged one back for his side before Boyle restored the Hawks’ margin with another tight snap – the difference 27 points at half time.
3QT: The Hawks again capitalised in the opening seconds, with Franklin this time slotting the first major of the term off the ground, before the Dockers hit back through Pavlich and McPharlin.
Hawk Michael Osbourne found his first before midfielder Peter Bell scored the first of four consecutive Docker goals, as they stormed back to within just three points.
However, a late goal to Roughead gave Hawthorn some crucial breathing space, as they clung to a 10-point lead heading into the final stanza.
FT: The Hawks quashed any notion of a come-from-behind victory by the Dockers with four unanswered goals in the quarter’s opening nine minutes.
First-year forward Cameron Stokes goaled in the opening 30 seconds before key forwards Roughead and Franklin delivered a one-two punch with a fourth goal each.
Ruckman Robert Campbell meanwhile also got in on the action after marking on the lead 40 metres out, as the side looked all but home with a 33-point lead, but suffered a blow as recruit Stuart Dew went down with a hamstring injury.
While it wasn’t all smooth sailing from there – the Dockers kicked four of the last five goals – the Hawks had done all that was needed as they took home an impressive 15-point win, continuing their bright start to the year.
Skipper Sam Mitchell and Brad Sewell (27 disposals each) did the job through the middle of the ground while Clinton Young was also important off half back with 21 disposals before sitting out the final term.
HAWTHORN 3.4 8.7 11.11 16.16 (112)
FREMANTLE 3.0 4.4 10.7 14.13 (97)
Goals
Hawthorn: L Franklin 4, J Roughead 4, T Boyle 2, C Rioli 2, M Osborne 1, C Stokes 1, R Campbell 1, T Tuck 1
Fremantle: M Pavlich 3, L McPharlin 2, J Carr 2, C Mayne 2, R Crowley 1, J Farmer 1, A Sandilands 1, P Bell 1, R Palmer 1
Best
Hawthorn: Young, Mitchell, Sewell, Tuck, Hodge, Roughead, Franklin, Osborne
Fremantle: Pavlich, Bell, J Carr, Palmer, Dodd, Headland
Injuries
Hawthorn: Clinton Young, Stuart Dew (hamstring), Rick Ladson (shoulder)
Fremantle: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: McBurney, Margetts, Nicholls
Official crowd: 38,022 at Subiaco Oval
