A HOT-AND-COLD Hawthorn has beaten a spirited but overwhelmed Collingwood by 54 points at the MCG on Friday night.

The Hawks were stellar in the first term but fell away in the second and the first few minutes of the third, but after seeing a 39-point lead whittled back to 10, they stepped it back up and won 17.14 (116) to 8.14 (62).

Hawthorn displayed vastly better skills, along with far better intensity and endeavour as it won the battles both inside and outside. But to Collingwood’s credit, they never gave in.

Lance Franklin was his usual mercurial self. He was far and away the dominant forward on the ground, giving Nick Maxwell a bath in the first half, but once again he was let down by his kicking, with 4.4 at the long break, and 8.6 with one out-on-the-full at the finish.

The Hawks midfield was again stellar, with Sam Mitchell, Chance Bateman, Xavier Ellis and Jordan Lewis running riot. Trent Croad and Luke Hodge were also terrific across half-back.

Former skipper Shane Crawford played his 299th game, mostly across in defence, in an encouraging return from knee tendonitis.

It took just 34 seconds for Hawthorn to establish dominance with Stuart Dew, playing his first match since round 13, putting the first major on the board. Less than two minutes later it was Roughead’s turn, and then Franklin rewarded a great run down the wing from Chance Bateman with a conversion.

Pendlebury kicked the Pies’ first, but three more to the Hawks saw them 31-point lead at quarter time.

The second term was strange – the Hawks were clearly the best team, but their inability to convert allowed Collingwood to actually win the quarter by a point, Both teams kicked a couple, both of Hawthorn’s to Franklin, although he added three behinds to go with them.

The Magpies came out of the rooms with far more fire and booted the first three goals of the third to get the margin inside two goals, but then the Hawks turned it on.

Franklin snapped truly from 40m, Roughead accepted a handball from Franklin after a defensive muck up from the Pies, Stephen Gilham kicked the second goal of his AFL career, and Mark Williams kicked the last of the term to take it to a 34-point lead.

In the last quarter, the Pies again kicked the first goal before Hawthorn pulled away to a comfortable victory.

Next week, Collingwood have St Kilda at the MCG, and Hawthorn take on Richmond at the MCG the following day.

Collingwood 1.2  3.8  6.13  8.14 (62)
Hawthorn  6.3  8.8  12.11  17.14 (116)

GOALS
Collingwood: H. Shaw 2, Pendlebury 2, Medhurst, Didak, Anthony, Davis
Hawthorn: Franklin 8, Roughead 4, Dew, Bateman, Gilham, Williams, Sewell

BEST
Collingwood: Pendlebury, O’Brien, Maxwell, Anthony, Didak, Swan
Hawthorn: Franklin, Mitchell, Hodge, Bateman, Ellis, Croad, Brown

INJURIES
Collingwood: Nil
Hawthorn: Nil      

Reports: Nil              

Umpires: James, McLaren, Jeffery

Official crowd: 58,307 at the MCG

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.