HAWTHORN has shored up its spot in the top four with a 54-point loss at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.

Hawthorn kicked the opening five goals and never looked back, cantering to an easy 20.12 (132) to 12.6 (78) win.

Hawthorn superstar Lance Franklin kicked five goals opposed to Melbourne defender James Frawley and moved to the lead in the race for the Coleman Medal with 51 goals.

In the midfield, former Hawks skipper Sam Mitchell (30) continued his superb form, while Brad Sewell (33) and Jordan Lewis (24) were also influential in their return from injury and suspension respectively.

Melbourne's midfielders struggled to gain possession with Brent Moloney held to 17 touches, while Nathan Jones (23), ruckman Stef Martin (21) and forward Brad Green (17) led the disposals for the Demons.

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said limiting the influence of Melbourne's midfielders was one of the key components of the win.

"We were able to limit the influence of Moloney and their important players. He only had 18 or so touches when usually he's more prolific than that," Clarkson said after the match.

The defeat is the first time since 1980-84 the Demons have lost eight consecutive matches against the Hawks, with Melbourne's last win coming in round eight, 2006, when forward David Neitz kicked six goals.

Melbourne is one of four clubs outside the top eight competing for a finals spot.

Essendon and North Melbourne have eight wins, while the Western Bulldogs and the Demons sit on seven (although Melbourne has played one less game after completing both of its byes).

The Saints are just inside the eight on percentage following their 103-point win over Adelaide on Friday night.

With matches against Geelong, Carlton and West Coast in the next month, Melbourne faces a tough challenge to finish inside the top eight.

Influential players
After missing three weeks with a knee injury, Hawthorn midfielder Brad Sewell returned to his best on Sunday with 33 touches, six tackles and six clearances.
Former skipper Sam Mitchell was also influential in the middle, racking up 30 touches - the seventh consecutive match he has had 30 or more disposals.

Stats that matter
From the first bounce the Demons struggled to get their hands on the footy, while the Hawks continued to move the ball around with short, sharp kicks - which have become their trademark. The Hawks finished the match with 113 more disposals than Melbourne (408 to 295) with 63 per cent of their possessions uncontested.

What it means
The Hawks sit comfortably in third spot on the ladder, two points ahead of Carlton, and look set to finish the home and away season in the top four.

The tribute
As a highlights reel of his career played on the scoreboard, both clubs paid tribute to the late Allan Jeans with a minute's silence before the game. Earlier in the week, the three-time Hawthorn premiership coach took a final lap around the MCG, giving the Hawks extra motivation to pay their respects with a win.

What the coach said
Alastair Clarkson (Hawthorn): "We got away to a really good start and put some scoreboard pressure on the Demons.

"We got five goals up and then as Melbourne can do they scored three quick goals and got themselves back in the contest. We had to work really hard for victory … Melbourne was able to get some easy goals.

"They can move the ball really quickly and really well on occasion but overall I thought our contested footy and hardness [was good]."

The brain fade
Melbourne had the ball just inside its forward 50 at the 23-minute mark of the third term and looked likely to kick a goal until young forward Luke Tapscott threw Hawthorn's Michael Osborne to the ground. A free kick was awarded and a 50m penalty followed, giving Osborne a shot at goal down the other end. He converted and gave the Hawks a 38-point lead.

Dream Team highlights:
Lance Franklin can be hot and cold when it comes to Dream Team scores but he was on fire against the Demons, scoring 127 points for his equal-second highest total of the year. Franklin was a huge boost for coaches who would have noticed he went in to the game with a value of $375,000, his lowest price this season.

QUARTER BY QUARTER SUMMARY
First quarter
It was all Hawthorn's way in the early stages, with five unanswered goals before Lynden Dunn finally put one through at the 19-minute mark for Melbourne. Dunn's goal started a purple patch for the Demons as they kicked the next two to move to within 10 points of the Hawks. Sam Mitchell was dominant in the midfield for the Hawks, gathering eight possessions despite close attention from Melbourne tagger Jordie McKenzie.
Hawthorn by 16 points

Second quarter
Once again Hawthorn started strongly, with a goal to David Hale in the first two minutes of play. But the Demons had another patch where they kicked three goals to keep up with the Hawks. Brad Sewell stepped up in the midfield with 13 disposals, nine of which were contested. Lynden Dunn had seven touches for the Demons, to be their most dangerous forward. The Hawks led inside 50s 17-8.
Hawthorn by 25 points

Third quarter
Nine goals were scored in a free-flowing third quarter. Six of them were Hawthorn goals while Melbourne's three all came from Brad Green's boot. A particular low point for the Demons came when Luke Tapscott conceded a free kick and a 50m penalty behind play that turned a Melbourne goal scoring opportunity into a goal to Michael Osborne. Hawk Shane Savage came from the ground with a shoulder injury while Jamie Bennell was subbed on for Addam Maric. Nathan Jones had seven touches for the Demons while Brad Sewell and Grant Birchall had another nine each for Hawthorn. Once again, Hawthorn thumped Melbourne in inside 50s, winning 18-7.
Hawthorn by 44 points

Fourth quarter
Isaac Smith was subbed on at the three-quarter time break and made an instant impact, kicking a goal in the opening minute of the quarter. It was one of four goals the Hawks kicked in the quarter, the most impressive being one to Cyril Rioli that was a direct result of a chase by Max Bailey to tackle Stefan Martin and force a turnover. Sam Mitchell had nine disposals to take his total to 30 for the seventh consecutive week.
Hawthorn by 54 points

The next four:
Melbourne: Geelong (Skilled Stadium), Carlton (MCG), West Coast (Etihad Stadium), Richmond (MCG)
Hawthorn: Fremantle (Patersons Stadium), North Melbourne (Aurora Stadium), Port Adelaide (MCG), Carlton (Etihad Stadium)


MATCH DETAILS

Hawthorn         6.1    10.4    16.6    20.12  (132)
Melbourne       3.3    6.3        9.4     12.6     (78)

GOALS
Hawthorn:  Franklin 5, Breust 3, Rioli 3, Hodge 2, Osborne 2, Mitchell, Lewis, Ellis, Hale, Smith.
Melbourne: Green 4, Howe 3, Dunn 2, Sylvia, Bate, Petterd.

BEST
Hawthorn: Sewell, Franklin, Mitchell, Hodge, Rioli, Bailey, Birchall.
Melbourne: Green, Martin, Howe, Dunn, Jones.

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Shane Savage (shoulder)
Melbourne: None

SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: Shane Savage replaced by Isaac Smith in the last quarter
Melbourne: Addam Maric replaced by Jamie Bennell in the third quarter,
Liam Jurrah (illness) replaced in selected side by Jamie Bennell

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Meredith, Kamolins, McBurney

Official crowd: 39,782 at MCG

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs