Hawthorn   3.8       8.9      15.15      21.17   (143)
Brisbane Lions   1.2       5.5      7.7    12.13   (85)

Goals: Hawthorn: Franklin 4, Roughead 4, Savage 3, Breust 3, Hale, Simpkin, Lewis, Smith, Gunston, Shiels, Hill
Brisbane Lions: Brown 4, Golby 2, Rockliff, Hanley, Rich, Black, Yeo, Lisle

Best: Hawthorn: Sewell, Mitchell, Smith, Roughead, Franklin
Brisbane Lions: Moloney, Leuenberger, Redden, Hanley, Brown

Hawthorn continued its impressive 2013 season with another 10 goal win on Sunday at Aurora Stadium.

This time, it was Brisbane on the receiving end of a powerful display from the Hawks, who again showed why it has one of the best forward lines in the competition.

Conditions were tough, and despite an inaccurate opening term, the Hawks soon found their rhythm up forward, kicking 5.1 in the second term to take a handsome 22 point lead into the main break.

A 13 goal to seven second half set up the win, ensuring the Hawks keep its one-game advantage over Geelong at the top of the AFL ladder, setting up another blockbuster against the arch-rivals on Saturday night.
 

The scoring power

Each week, Alastair Clarkson’s team seems to find a new reason why its scoring power extends not only to one or two players, but to a whole host of players on the field.

This time, it was Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead who top scored for the Hawks with four goals each, but Shane Savage emerged as a damaging goal-kicking midfielder whose clean ball handling and skills around goals could be a real weapon for the Hawks.

In his second game back after being omitted from the side in Round 6, Savage impressed as a player who could split his time between midfield and forward, playing as a high half forward.

He finished the game with three goals and a hand in two others, as well as being Hawthorn’s third most prolific ball winner on the day with 21 disposals.

Luke Breust also chipped in with three goals, continuing his steady contribution of goals from week to week to be Hawthorn’s third-best goal kicker of the season.

Breust enjoyed more time in the midfield on Sunday, but given he still managed three goals is testament to how dangerous he is inside the scoring arc.
 

Assists

The Hawks kicked 140 or more points for the fifth time this season – the only side to do that this year.

They average 121 points per game, having kicked 1573 points in 13 games this year. The next best scoring side is Geelong with 1474 points (an average of 113 points per game).

But while Hawthorn’s plethora of goal scoring options is the envy of most in the competition, it is probably the ability of those players to also set up teammates that makes Clarkson and forward coach, Adam Simpson even happier.

Savage kicked three and had two score assists, and Breust bettered that with three goals and three score assists.

Jack Gunston registered only one goal for the game, but the fact he had four score assists and 19 disposals would put him as one of Hawthorn’s best in the win, for his ability to bring teammates into the game.

At Hawthorn, there is no pressure on any one player to kick a bag of goals for it to win, and that is its biggest strength.

Each week, there are three or four players who have kicked three or more goals and even more who have chipped in with singles or managed multiple goals because of their teammates’ willingness to bring them into the game.

Hawthorn’s selflessness inside 50 is what makes it such an imposing team.

For the season, Luke Breust is ranked number one at the Club for goal assists with 18 and Jarryd Roughead is second with 13. Lance Franklin also has eight.
 

Response to the challenge

It’s hard to believe when looking at the quarter-by-quarter scores that Brisbane got within 18 points at the beginning of the third quarter.

After Franklin kicked the opening goal of the third term to put Hawthorn 28 points up, the Lions kicked two quick goals through co-captain Jonathan Brown to reduce the margin to 18 points.

After a score review, the Lions were rightfully denied a goal and from there, the Hawks kicked six unanswered from the 18minute mark to the 33-minute marks of the quarter.

It was a match-winning lead.

The way in which the Hawks responded to the Lions’ challenge would have pleased Coach Clarkson and his team of assistant coaches, with the Hawks using the ball with great efficiency up forward.

They won the ball from the stoppages and applied great pressure on the young Lions defence when the ball hit the ground.

The efficiency of foot skills too was telling, with the Hawks able to hit lead-up targets with ease – four of the six unanswered goals were from set shots.
 

Credit to the defence

Brian Lake, Josh Gibson and Ben Stratton have formed an almost impenetrable defence and again they were excellent for the Hawks on the weekend.

When the Lions were pressing in the second term with repeat forward 50 entries, time and time again the trio would spoil the footy with authority and ensure no score would be kicked.

Of course, credit needs to go too to the Hawthorn midfielders who push back as hard as any team in the competition to assist its defensive group.

Luke Hodge (nine rebound 50s), Taylor Duryea (five), Bradley Hill (three), Shaun Burgoyne (three) and Brendan Whitecross (three) are some of the players who work just as hard back as they do forward. Each of those names spend time pushing up the ground so credit is due to them for their ability and willingness to work to help out their teammates.
 

Special mention

Josh Gibson has the reputation of being one of the most courageous players in the AFL, but what he did on Sunday at Aurora Stadium, was the next level.

He fearlessly ran back to effect a spoil, taking no time to coinsider what might be heading straight for him from the other direction.

He made the spoil, but landed heavily on his neck, a serious injury waiting to happen.

It was a kamikaze style attack from the Hawks defender.

He was in the hands of the training for a minute or two before regaining his footing and jogging to the bench – duly cheered by the Tasmanian crowd.

He returned to the field soon after being cleared of any injury, only to again put his body on the line for the team.
 

What the coaches said

Hawthorn’s Alastair Clarkson: “It was a pretty tough game today and the conditions made it really difficult. To kick 21 goals in those conditions was pleasing.

"Brisbane were a very dangerous opponent. They won the pre-season cup and have got some good players and as we've seen, they've knocked off Geelong and Essendon so they can produce some good footy on their day, so we were pleased we were able to at least negate what their strengths are and ran away with a good victory today."

Brisbane’s Michael Voss: "It was probably during the third quarter, with maybe six or seven minutes to go when they just piled on the goals.

"That was probably the time we were pressing the most and they just were able to right the numbers a little bit and kick a couple of goals and get that wave of momentum.