1. The team that dresses together, wins together

Exactly what inspired the Lions' unusual pre-match routine is a mystery, but footage of players pulling on their jumpers in unison appeared to indicate a focus on team unity for the trip to Launceston. Given they've been the worst first-quarter team in the AFL this season, entering round 17 with a 170-point deficit in opening terms, the ritual may well have been designed to inspire a fast start. As it was, the Lions still trailed at quarter-time, but they were within a kick of the lead and had shown enough around the ground to prove they would be no pushover. Given the overwhelmingly positive outcome in the 33-point win, there's every chance the Brisbane players will be willing to give their eye-catching routine another go next week.

Much as they love supporting the Tassie Hawks at their home away from home in Launceston, the added bonus of seeing Luke Hodge return to University of Tasmania Stadium will have been enough to bring plenty of local fans along for the day. Imagine the disappointment when it was announced to the crowd of 12,557 that the former Hawthorn hard-man had failed to overcome a midweek calf injury and was a late withdrawal. But far from folding without Hodge's calming influence down back, the Lions defended with equal parts courage and tenacity to hold a Hawthorn attacking unit that has clicked in recent weeks to just nine goals for the afternoon and to a solitary behind in the final quarter.

3. Mitchell and O'Meara roll on, but to no avail

While much of the conversation coming into Saturday's match revolved around how the Lions would stop Tom Mitchell dominating the contest in his inimitable way, the Lions might wish they’d been able to come up with a plan for Jaeger O’Meara as well. At half-time, Mitchell had racked up 29 disposals, six tackles and a mammoth 117 AFL Fantasy points, but it was easy to argue a case for O'Meara having been the more damaging player when he booted his fourth goal early in the third term. Neither was able to do much, though, as the Lions surged to a lead late in the third quarter on the back of contested dominance and outstanding clearance work from the in-form Dayne Beams, who collected 33 touches including seven clearances and eight forward entries and was instrumental in the Lions' win.

Read: Match report - Hawks v Lions

4. From the ridiculous to the sublime

Allen Christensen's second-quarter goal won’t go down as a classic, but it appeared as a minor miracle given the calamitous sequence that unfolded as the Lions brought the ball along the outer wing moments earlier. What looked like being a simple, uncontested goal became a comedy of errors as Hawthorn rebounded to the open side of the ground. But through a combination of tough tackling and tenacity from his teammates, Christensen was eventually able to kick the goal and send his side to a narrow lead. Dayne Zorko and Cam Rayner added majors as the Lions began to win the one-on-one contests and consistently denied Hawthorn opportunities to move the ball freely. Rayner followed up with a cheeky goal off the deck in the third term and a classy finish in the final quarter that looked to break the Hawks and capped off an excellent day out for the No.1 selection from last year's draft.

5. History repeats itself

Brisbane hadn't beaten Hawthorn twice in the same season since 2006, but following Saturday's 33-point win they'd achieved the feat in some style. The Lions had triumphed by 56 points in round nine, and the longer the contest went in Launceston the more likely they looked to repeat the dose. Having won 31 of the past 34 fixtures in Tasmania, the Hawks were in unfamiliar territory as the Lions ran all over them in the second half, and had no answers as the Lions notched a third consecutive victory for the first time since 2013. In an extraordinary coincidence, it was between rounds 15-17 of the 2013 season that Brisbane notched their three consecutive wins, just as they have this year.