Carlton 3.2 6.2 7.6 10.10 (70)
Hawthorn 7.4 10.7 16.10 18.12 (120)
Goals: Carlton: Betts, Armfield 2, Ribinson, Judd, Yarran, Ellard, Simpson, Hampson.
Hawthorn: Franklin 4, Gunston, Roughead 3, Breust 2, Mitchell, Lewis, Hale, Suckling, Savage, Puopolo.
Best: Carlton: Carrazzo, Robinson, Joseph, Judd, Scotland.
Hawthorn: Franklin, Mitchell, Birchall, Lewis, Burgoyne, Hale, Roughead, Shiels.
Crowd: 65,047 at the MCG
A dominant first quarter set up a handy 50-point win for the Hawks over the Blues the last time the two teams met.
The Hawks came out firing, dominating possession in the opening five minutes, to score 2.1.13 before the Blues managed a score. Tackling pressure was a feature for both sides, but it was the Hawks’ ability to release players in space that enabled11 scoring shots to five in the opening term.
Coach Alastair Clarkson’s system from defence worked perfectly, as the Hawks were able to get the ball over the Carlton zone and stream forward in numbers.
Although the key performance indicators were even (tackles 17-19, contested possessions 38-39 and clearance 11 each), it was the Hawks’ ability to execute their skills best that was the difference in the opening quarter.
The Hawks ran at 69 per cent efficiency compared to Carlton’s 59 - a telling stat when considering the evenness of the second quarter where both teams kicked three goals each.
The Hawks’ ability to use their foot skills resulted in 16 inside 50s to 10 in the opening term, as forwards Lance Franklin and Jack Gunston got on top of their opponents.
It was a solid four quarter performance from the Hawks, despite both teams kicking three goals each in the second term.
For a period, it was a real arm wrestle, and the Hawks’ ability to restrict Carlton’s scoring opportunities was important. The Hawks has all the answers, despite allowing the Blues to kick two goals in succession.
When the game was on a knife’s edge, Sam Mitchell, Franklin and Gunston stepped up to give the Hawks breathing space.
It was one of the best defensive efforts from the Hawks, however, that played an integral role in the outcome of the match.
Josh Gibson, Ryan Schoenmakers, Ben Stratton and Brent Guerra were excellent in defence.
Andrew Walker was kept quiet despite having 24 disposals, he failed to hit the scoreboard. Shaun Hampson, Jeff Garlett and Matthew Kreuzer were also quiet when in the forward half.
Liam Shiels was given the tough job of curtailing Kade Simpson, with the Carlton play maker a key contributor to the Blues when they’re up and running.
Shiels limited Simpson to just 15 disposals on the night at 67 per cent efficiency - he usually runs at above 74 per cent. He also only managed two inside 50s, when the Blues love to get the ball into his hands going forward.
Meanwhile, the Hawks midfielder grabbed 21 disposals, laid five tackles, had three clearances and three inside 50s to be an integral role player in Hawthorn’s win.
Grant Birchall was again one of the Hawks’ best with another 29 disposals and a key to the Hawks’ ability to move the ball quickly, while Mitchell was instrumental in the middle. The David Parkin medallist was in everything, gathering 32 disposals (14 contested), five tackles, five clearances and four rebounds from 50.
All in all, it was a solid effort from the Hawks who did the damage in the first and third quarters, by getting on top in the midfield.
What Alastair Clarkson said: “We were really pleased with the effort of our guys. We knew Carlton were going to come out and put in a pretty spirited performance and to come away with a 50-point victory is really pleasing.
“It was a hard game, our boys had to work really hard. We won a lot of the key indicators, ended up winning the clearances and the inside 50s and the scoreboard - which is the most important one.”
