HAWTHORN held on in a thriller against a determined North Melbourne with a three-point win at the MCG on Sunday.
 
The ball was deep in North Melbourne's forward line when the siren went after a long Drew Petrie kick was spoiled at the top of the goalsquare.
 
The final scores were Hawthorn 14.15 (99) to North Melbourne 13.18 (96).
 
It took three surprise first-quarter goals from ruckman Max Bailey – who had kicked three goals in his previous 28 games before Sunday – and three explosive third-quarter goals from Cyril Rioli (who looked to suffer a hamstring injury late in the last quarter) to tilt the game the Hawks' way.
 
In many aspects North Melbourne was superior, recording 63 inside 50s to Hawthorn's 47 however it lost where it mattered most - on the scoreboard.

Daniel Wells was brilliant around the stoppages. Scott Thompson subdued Lance Franklin – who was offline missing four set shots and finishing with five behinds – and Sam Wright kept the heat on Grant Birchall. Luke Hodge managed just four touches in the first half, but finished the game with 17 and was good in the final quarter.
 
The weight of numbers North Melbourne's way (it had 30 free kicks to Hawthorn's 15) did not translate to the scoreboard. Hawthorn was able to keep its nose in front for most of the evening, like a racing yacht tacking left then right to keep their opponent at bay.
 
At three-quarter time the Hawks trailed the inside 50 count 35-48 but still had a nine-point lead.
 
When Lindsay Thomas – who kicked two set shot goals in the second quarter and then a crucial two late in the final term – opened the quarter with a snap goal, North Melbourne began to believe.
 
It was outrunning the Hawks and Wells showed his class with a running goal from the boundary to put the Kangaroos in front.
 
Under pressure, Hawthorn's leaders lifted. Hodge began winning the ball and Sam Mitchell kept a cool head to kick a set shot goal to regain the lead.
 
When Thomas kicked his fifth goal the margin was back within a goal and in a frantic two minutes Hawthorn held on. If it had lost, a controversial overturning of a goal to Luke Breust in the second quarter would have been debated ad-nauseam.
 
North Melbourne now has just one win despite being one of the best performed teams in the early rounds and takes on an in-form Port Adelaide next week.


HAWTHORN                        5.4   8.8   11.11   14.15   (99)
NORTH MELBOURNE        3.5   7.9    9.15    13.18   (96)

GOALS
Hawthorn: Rioli 4, Bailey 3, Smith, Osborne, Burgoyne, Roughead, Hill, Mitchell, Gunston
North Melbourne: Thomas 5, Black 2, Ziebell, Mullett, Adams, Petrie, Gibson, Wells

BEST
Hawthorn: Rioli, Lewis, Mitchell, Burgoyne
North Melbourne: Wells, Thomas, Thompson, Cunnington, Swallow, Ziebell

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Rioli (right hamstring)
North Melbourne: Hansen (knee) replaced in selected side by Black.

SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: Shane Savage replaced Max Bailey during the third quarter.
North Mebourne: Liam Anthony replaced Majak Daw at three-quarter-time.

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Farmer, Stevic, Ryan

Official crowd: 42,103 at the MCG