Collingwood 3.6  7.6  11.9  13.12 (90)                  
Hawthorn 2.1 7.5  15.9  22.13 (145)          

Goals: Collingwood: Cloke 5, Elliott 3, Blair, Hudson, Fasolo, Brown, Lynch
Hawthorn: Franklin 4, Breust 3, Roughead 3, Burgoyne 3, Hodge 2, Hill 2, Hale, Anderson, Birchall, Puopolo, Lewis

Best: Collingwood: Cloke, Swan, Elliott, Blair, Johnson, Hudson
Hawthorn: Hodge, Franklin, Shiels, Birchall, Stratton, Gibson, Roughead, Burgoyne

For three quarters, the contest between Hawthorn and Collingwood was everything media pundits and football fans alike had expected.

The attack on the ball was fierce, the tackles were strong, the pressure immense, the footy hot and if you had a possession, you were made to earn it.

But, as it did to West Coast the week before, the Hawks proved too strong for too long as it romped to a big win over the Magpies.

The fitness of the Hawks seemed superior to Collingwood as it ran out the game and kept its foot on the accelerator to pile on seven final quarter goals to two.

Despite Collingwood getting the jump on Hawthorn in the opening term, the defence of the Hawks proved resilient as the pressure from the midfield combined with the defensive structure pushed Collingwood wide.

The game was then turned on its head despite the Pies holding a commanding lead mid-way through the second term thanks to a 10 minute period of dominance for the Hawks in the second quarter.

Luke Hodge was best on ground in his second game back from injury, while Lance Franklin was explosive up forward and debutant Taylor Duryea proved he was worth the wait, playing a solid and dependable role in the backline.

Collingwood on top, but forced wide

Collingwood jumped out of the blocks in the opening term as they adapted to the wet conditions better than its opponent and consequently, gave its forwards the chance to capitalise and mount score board pressure on the Hawks.

Despite nine scoring shots from 17 forward 50 entries, the Pies couldn’t capitalise on their period of dominance. Collingwood kicked 3.6 to Hawthorn’s 2.1 to take only a slim 9-point lead into the first change – a score line not reflective of the way they game was played.

Despite the tackle count sitting at 19-18 in Collingwood’s favour, it was where the tackles where laid – forward of centre for the Pies. Collingwood’s forward pressure forced Hawthorn into a number of skill errors resulting in a kicking efficiency of 56.9 per cent, which then dropped to 56.5 at half time.

But, where Hawthorn’s pressure was applied was the key – chasing and tackling as the Pies kicked inside 50. Consequently, it forced the Pies forwards to lead wide and kick for goal from the pockets of the MCG.

In the second term, however, Collingwood was able to correct its forward 50 entries as Travis Cloke marked twice 25m from goal on a slight angle.

The Pies capitalised in the opening 20 minutes of the second term, kicking four goals to jump to a handy three and a half goal break.

The Hawks were in trouble.

Hawks find the pressure game

As good sides do, the Hawks kept pressing mid-way through the second term despite falling 20 points behind and seemingly, on its way to a Round 3 loss.

In an eight minute period in the second term, however, the Hawks turned the game on its head.

The Hawks laid 12 tackles to Collingwood’s six to completely turn the game on its head.

When Lance Franklin kicked long inside 50 and Collingwood’s Ben Johnson ran under the ball despite looking as though he’d take an uncontested mark, youngster Jed Anderson swooped to kick his first goal in AFL footy and, and important goal in the context of the game.

Anderson’s goal reduced the deficit to 14 points with 4.51 remaining on the clock.

Then, from 3.38 remaining on the clock, the Hawks laid eight tackles to three to lock the ball inside its forward half and have the last eight inside 50s.

Unlike Collingwood in the opening term, the Hawks capitalised on their momentum, kicking the last three goals of the term to close the gap to one point at the main break.

Hawks capitalise

After that eight minute period of dominance at the end of the second term, the Hawks had all the momentum and made the Pies pay on the scoreboard.

From the 22 minute mark of the second term to the 22 minute mark of the third term, the Hawks kicked eight of the next 10 goals to open a 22 point lead. It was a 42 point turnaround within one quarter of football.

In two quarters, the Hawks booted 15 goals to six to run away with a 55 point victory, something not even the most optimist Hawthorn fan or football fan would have predicted at the 22 minute mark of the second term.

Captain courageous

In just his second match back from injury, Luke Hodge was best on ground in Sunday’s win.

Many had written the 28 year old off in the pre-season, as news filtered out that he had undergone post-season knee surgery and, as the season edged closer, still wasn’t in full training.

But, just as he had done the previous week, Hodge was one of Hawthorn’s best in a big win, combining his courage, leadership and unrelenting attack on the ball with skill and precision.

He gathered 31 disposals and kicked two goals to be arguably the most influential player on the ground.

The role players

Fans hear players speak about playing their role and making sure each and every player in the selected 22 contributes and, in Hawthorn’s win, that was true. Each player played a role for the side and ultimately, it resulted in a resounding victory.

From Lance Franklin to Taylor Duryea, the contribution was even.

In his first match, Duryea showed he has what it takes to be a valuable contributor in the Hawthorn side, with his disposal and ability to keep his composure under pressure highlights of his game on Sunday. He gathered 15 possessions and kept Collingwood’s Ben Sinclair goalless and, to just nine disposals.

Perhaps though, the best example of a player playing his role for the side was that of Luke Breust. Quiet in the opening half, Breust managed just six kicks and 13 disposals for the game but, from those six kicks came three vital goals.

It was the perfect small forward’s game, three goals, 13 possessions and three tackles.

Then there was Ben Stratton off half back who time and again found himself in the right place at the right time, taking intercepting marks and chasing and tackling to ensure no Collingwood forward 50 entry was clean.

Of course, there was Franklin who emerged as Hawthorn’s most potent option up forward. He handed the Hawks the momentum when Collingwood were pressing in the third term with that unforgettable hurdle over players on the ground and 80m drop punt from the centre square that required just one bounce before it was signalled a goal.

What the coaches said

Hawthorn’s Alastair Clarkson: “We just knew that with a really solid fitness foundation he (Hodge) was going to be a super player.

"Hodgey's been a warrior for our footy club for over 10 years now. And he's had one significant injury in all that time.

"He's been an unbelievably durable player for us and we saw today how tough and hard he is.

"(He) willed himself through so many contests and made a really important contribution and we just knew that it was just a matter of getting his fitness base back again.”

Collingwood’s Nathan Buckley: “When you are coming up against good sides you need to be right all of the time,"

"You can't afford to give an inch to these good sides and we did that.

“(We) pride ourselves on being harder for longer but we weren't today.”