IT WAS the game that taught Hawthorn a football lesson, and set the scene for the run of dominance that has followed.

The Hawks' form had been lukewarm early in the 2012 season, but they entered their round nine meeting with Richmond as handy favourites.

However, if Alastair Clarkson's men expected a comfortable win, they got a terrible shock.

The Tigers, with midfield running riot – Shane Tuck, Brett Deledio, Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin all had 30-plus disposals – ran away with the contest by 62 points.

Jack Riewoldt booted six goals, while at the other end Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead managed a combined three.

Shaun Burgoyne was the only Hawk to pass 25 disposals as Richmond was harder on the inside, quicker on the spread, and handled the slippery conditions much better.

The dirty day left Hawthorn with a win-loss record of 5-4 and on fringe of the eight.

Skipper Luke Hodge, who missed the game with a knee injury and watched on from the stands, remembers it as a turning point.

"To play finals football, or be on top of the ladder, you pretty much had to do what they did to us," Hodge told hawthornfc.com.au this week. 

"They dominated us in all areas. 

"So I think they set the standard for what we had to do consistently, and we were able to take a lot out of that game."

The Hawks put the lessons to immediate use, going on a rampage from the very next week.

They peeled off eight straight wins, by an average margin of 81 points, and won 14 of 16 games for the remainder of the season.

Add in 15 wins from 17 matches this year, and Hawthorn's win-loss record since the Richmond debacle is 29-4 – the only losses coming to nemesis Geelong (three times) and the Sydney Swans in the Grand Final.

Having beaten the Swans comfortably in round seven, the Hawks have won their most recent clash with every club except for the Cats and Richmond.

Saturday is their first chance to get the wood back on the Tigers.

"It was a wet, scrubby day, and I think they out-worked us, got the ball on the outside, and ran hard forward," Hodge said.

"We just couldn't stop them; they won the contested possessions and the uncontested possessions. 

"So we're going to have to be on our game to beat them this Saturday, because they've shown throughout this year that they're a good side."

The clash, expected to be played before an enormous MCG crowd, will also feature the added spice of a strong connection between the two coaches.

Damien Hardwick and his assistant Ross Smith are both former assistants of Clarkson at Hawthorn, and Hardwick and Clarkson remain close friends.

Given the time that has passed since the two former Hawks employees departed the club, however, Hodge was not worried about any possible inside knowledge being exploited.

"We've changed a lot since 'Dimma' was at the footy club, and even since Ross Smith was here," the 29-year-old said. 

"No doubt they'll know how a lot of the guys like to play, considering they've coached them, but as far as structurally, football changes so often that it's very hard to stay on top of it when you've been away from the system for two or three years."

The Hawks' 56-point thrashing of Essendon last week was widely viewed as one of the team's best of the season – perhaps sitting alongside the earlier defeat of the Swans.

Nothing less than a repeat dose would do this week, Hodge said.

"Throughout the last month or so, we haven't played great football," he said.

"We've been able to win games, but it hasn't been convincing. 

"We've played some good footy at times, but also some patchy footy.

"But [last week], if you took out the first 15 or so minutes where Essendon sort of jumped us, I thought it was a fairly consistent performance.

"We know that to beat Richmond we're going to have to come out and do exactly the same thing this Saturday."