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The Rundown

History was on the minds of all Demons fans when they entered this Round 20 clash, as the Hawks had been victorious in each of their last 13 meetings dating back to 2006.

Additionally, Hawthorn had won its last nine games in succession and were building momentum heading towards September.

But it was the Demons who appeared the better side throughout the entire game as they lead at every change to claim a 29-point victory.

The Hawks fell victim to the strength of the Demons stoppage work, as Max Gawn and Nathan Jones combined to generate dominant clearance numbers.

Read: Who's in the mix for Round 7

The Star

Undoubtedly the hero of the day was Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn who had 16 disposals, 11 marks (8 of which were contested), five tackles and had 41 hit-outs in an utterly dominant display. The popular figure was crucial in the pivotal stages of the game, exerting his aerial power for which the Hawks had no answer.

The Moment

With nine minutes to go in the game, the Demons were a point down and needed a spark if they were to overcome the might of the Hawks. That spark came in the form of young Billy Stretch who completed a full ground Melbourne transition to kick a slashing goal at the top of their forward 50. It would kick-start the Demons as they kicked the next five and the Hawks were left stunned and goalless for the remainder of the game.

The Coach

"We were a little bit off and the Demons were a little bit on and sometimes at the margin that can be the difference in the game”.- Alastair Clarkson

Read: How Jordan Lewis feels about coming up against his old team

 

MELBOURNE      5.2   9.2    12.6   17.8   (110)                  
HAWTHORN      3.3   7.9     10.12   11.15   (81) 

GOALS
Melbourne: Watts 3, Weideman 2, Bugg 2, Tyson 2, Petracca, Gawn, Hunt, Kent, Brayshaw, Vandenberg, Stretch, Pedersen
Hawthorn: Rioli 4, Gunston 2, Ceglar 2, Smith 2, O'Brien 

BEST
Melbourne: Jones, Gawn, Viney, Tyson, Watts, Vince, T. McDonald, Oliver
Hawthorn: Rioli, Smith, Hodge, Lewis, Mitchell

INJURIES 
Melbourne: Nil
Hawthorn: Stratton (left shoulder)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Farmer, Rosebury, Wallace

Official crowd: 38,818 at the MCG