1. A bit closer than expected
You could be forgiven for thinking Hawthorn’s parochial Launceston support had collectively arrived anticipating another comfortable win at Aurora Stadium given the 15-game winning streak at their Tasmanian home that the Hawks carried in. But as the game tightened and the Saints proved they were in no mood to roll over, even the most devoted Hawthorn fan might have felt the odd pang of doubt. With the game in the balance late on and the players flying into every contest with gusto, all 15,173 in attendance found full voice. Hawks fans roared when Luke Breust booted the Hawks clear, but those diehard Saints were very nearly as loud when Eli Templeton raced clear to goal in reply. Paddy McCartin’s huge grab late in the term just about lifted the roof but, alas, he couldn’t convert and the Hawks clung on to win the second nail-biter in Tassie in the past two rounds.
2. Plenty for Bruce to celebrate
The St Kilda cheer squad dedicated their banner to 50-game full-forward Josh Bruce on Saturday and after a quiet opening, the young key forward gave all Saints something to really cheer about. Having inked a new four-year deal with the club during the week, the 23-year-old former Giant had been relatively quiet for most of the first three quarters, but announced himself in the best possible way as the shadows lengthened across Aurora Stadium. Within the space of two minutes, Bruce calmly slotted a free-kick from 25m in the right forward pocket, bringing his side to within five points of the stuttering Hawks. Moments later he clunked just his third mark of the match, but made it count by slotting another set shot to give St Kilda the narrowest of leads and a real shot in the arm going into the final quarter. As if to illustrate the riches in St Kilda’s forward stocks, McCartin goaled first in the last term to really give the Saints hope.
3. He’s a hard man, Hodge
While it’s often his left boot being studied during a game of footy, Luke Hodge’s right forearm was the major talking point going into Saturday’s clash in Launceston. And as he trotted to full-back to start proceedings shoulder-to-shoulder with McCartin, the question had to be asked – are the Hawks that short on key defenders or was the skipper’s arm just too risky to trust in the rough-and-tumble of midfield. Of course, the Saints played their part in the melodrama, slinging Hodge heavily to the turf early on, but seemingly to no effect. In fact, it wasn’t until midway through the first term that the forearm really came to the fore. Having fumbled 20m out from St Kilda’s goal, Hodge braced himself to ride a tackle and his right arm appeared to make light contact with the onrushing Jack Lonie. The young Saint went down as if clobbered by a lead pipe in a wrestling match, winning a free-kick in the process. Hodge protested, perhaps telling the umpire what everyone at Aurora Stadium was thinking: if Lonie had really been hit by that forearm, he very likely wouldn’t have jumped back up to take his kick at goal.
4. Saints get up and running
If not for a couple of costly errors late in the first quarter, St Kilda might have been much closer than 18 points behind at the first break. But with the wind at their backs, the Saints kicked it up a gear or two and showed during a thoroughly impressive three-goal burst during the middle of the quarter they had the game and the gumption to take it right up to the triple premiers. Quick ball movement and hard, overlap running – so often the hallmark of Hawthorn’s winning streak in Launceston – served the Saints beautifully as they surged into a narrow lead on the back of a five-goal quarter. But, as is their way, the Hawks found the wherewithal to wrest back momentum, booting the final two goals of the term to sneak back into the lead by half-time. The lead continued to swing back and forth during an enthralling second half in a game that had a little bit of everything and will live long in the memory of everyone there to witness it.
5. There’s no stopping Sam
It really shouldn’t be any kind of surprise, but every time Sam Mitchell racks up stats like he did in Launceston on Saturday it seems noteworthy. Despite being forced from the field to have his head bandaged during the second term, the Hawthorn maestro had notched a whopping 25 disposals by half-time. While 18 of those were handballs, the majority had been hard won, Mitchell’s 12 contested possessions were twice as many as the next best on the field, his hard-nosed teammate Will Langford with six. As the contest heated up early in the final term, Mitchell passed the 40-disposal mark in typically effective fashion, spearing a ball inside forward 50 as the Hawks looked to get back on top of the surging Saints. As it happened, he finished with 44 touches – a career best figure – and with 20 contested he was hugely instrumental in the three-point win.
