Hawthorn  6.1   12.7   15.10   21.14 (140)
Greater Western Sydney  2.1   5.2   8.2   9.3 (57)

Goals: Hawthorn: Roughead 5, Gunston 3, Franklin 2, Burgoyne 2, Mitchell, Hodge, Shiels, Smith, Bailey, Hale, Puopolo, Sewell, Lewis
GWS: Cameron 4, Palmer, Adams, Bugg, Miles, Scully

Best: Hawthorn: Mitchell, Roughead, Lewis, Hale, Burgoyne, Gunston
GWS: Coniglio, Cameron, Mohr, Palmer, Ward, Adams

Greater Western Sydney were competitive against the Hawks on Saturday afternoon at Aurora Stadium, but were ultimately no match for a side now sitting atop the AFL ladder.

The young Giants made the Hawks work for their scoring opportunities by applying pressure and laying tackles – clearly a focus heading into the game from Coach, Kevin Sheedy.

The Hawks were well equipped, however, to handle what the Giants threw at them, with precise ball movement and elite kick skills slicing through the GWS defence.

Once again, the Hawks proved why their forward line is the most dangerous in the competition, with Jarryd Roughead, Lance Franklin and Jack Gunston firing.

Sam Mitchell was again best on ground, while Jordan Lewis had arguably his best game of the year with a dominant display in the midfield.

Dominant first half

Hawthorn set up its crushing 83 point win over the Giants with a dominant first half that netted it 12 goals to 5 in the opening two quarters.

While the Hawks only had a plus 5 advantage in the contested ball at half time (77-72), it was their spread from the contest that enabled it to dominate the opening half.

When Hawthorn had the footy, it rarely turned it over despite the tackling pressure from the Giants, such is the skill level of Alastair Clarkson’s side.

Playing at its home away from home, Hawthorn know the nuances of Aurora Stadium better than most and its runners founds loads of space on the wings and through the middle of the ground.

The class of the Hawthorn side and probably its experience too enabled it to easily work into space.

The Hawks had 142 uncontested possessions to half time, while the Giants had just 90 despite leading the tackle count 44-31.

The differential illustrated that despite the tackling pressure applied, the Hawks had the composure to dish the footy to a teammate and work the ball into space thanks to its work rate.  

The Hawks also dominated the clearances 16-9 at quarter time and 25-19 at the main break.

Sam Mitchell

Everyone knows how good the Hawks midfielder is, he’s won four Club best and fairest and come agonisingly close to winning the Brownlow Medal on a number of occasions.

Sometime though, the Hawthorn star puts in a performance that leaves Hawks fans and football fans alike in awe of his ability.

He’s one of the toughest in and under players in the competition, he’s a clearance specialist and he’s as consistent and reliable as any player on Hawthorn’s list.

But now, he’s taken his game to a new level if that’s even possible.

For the most part of this year, Mitchell has played across half back and repelled a number of the opposition’s forward entries.

On Saturday though, he spent time in the midfield and across half back and was one of Hawthorn’s best.

He put on a clinic as he amassed 35 touches (13 of those contested), three clearances, four inside 50s and three rebound 50s. He also had two score assists.

He also kicked an amazing goal from the boundary line in the opening quarter that left everyone thinking, is there any this man can’t do?

Forwards fire, again

Hawthorn has the most damaging and powerful forward line on all levels, and now the stats reflect it.

The Hawks kicked 140 points on Saturday, topping 100 points for the fifth time in eight matches. It is also the third time this season it has kicked 140 points or more in a game.

With its score on the weekend, Hawthorn eclipsed Essendon as the highest scorers in the competition to date, with 944 points in eight games (Essendon has kicked 913 points). That takes its average per game to 118.

The success of the forward set up is credit to the talent pool built by Alastair Clarkson and his team, but also to the dominance of its midfield in giving its forward targets the chance to maximise damage on the scoreboard.

For the second week running Hawthorn’s talls fired and kicked multiple goals, with Jarryd Roughead again leading the way with five. Jack Gunston chipped in with three majors and Lance Franklin booted two.

Ruckmen Max Bailey and David Hale also kicked one each.

Credit where it’s due

A focus for the Giants was obviously to apply as much pressure as it could to the ball carrier, and it executed Kevin Sheedy’s plan.

The Giants won the tackle count 82-56 and certainly made the Hawks work for its scores, particularly in the second half.

Jeremy Cameron was outstanding up forward for his team, managing to boot four goals despite limited opportunities.

He had the better of Club debutant Matt Spangher, with his athleticism and ability to read the play a shining light for Sheedy and the Giants.

Special mention

Recruit Jonathan Simpkin enjoyed his first full game for the Hawks on the weekend and showed why the Club was delighted when he signed on as a delisted free agent.

He started the game in empathic fashion, gathering 10 disposals in the opening term along with three inside 50s, three clearances and two score involvement for the quarter.

The midfielder finished the game with 23 possessions, three clearances and six inside 50s.

What the coaches said

Hawthorn’s Alastair Clarkson: “We need to continue to rehearse some of the things in our game.

You’d think that our game worked pretty smoothly today, having an 83-point win, but there were aspects of our game, particularly in the third quarter, that we weren’t really pleased with.

“All we can do is keep refining those things.”

Greater Western Sydney’s Kevin Sheedy: “Our lost concentration in the last few minutes of the first half cost us badly and the last quarter (as well).

“It’s something I find awkward to address at times, mainly because of the youth and inexperience of the group.”