AN INABILITY to turn possession into points was the reason for Hawthorn’s defeat against Adelaide according to captain Sam Mitchell.

The midfielder was disappointed with the manner in which his side failed to deliver the ball into the forward line with any effect, despite dominating at stoppages.

Mitchell felt Adelaide was better at converting its opportunities, but that the Hawks weren’t as bad as the half time scoreline suggested.

“We had our opportunities and I don’t think the score reflected the way we were playing because I thought we were a bit better than that.

“We cost ourselves with turnovers and they were really good at finishing going the other way.

“We changed a few things [after half time] and played with a bit more hunger and we were still getting our hands on the footy first ... We just couldn’t put enough scoreboard pressure on them later in the game.”

How each team would implement its defensive zone was a much talked about subject before the game, especially after assistant coach Todd Viney’s move from Hawthorn to Adelaide. But Mitchell said Adelaide’s more effective game plan came down to basic ball movement.

“Both teams used a full on defensive pressure and mindset and their’s just came off a little bit better today.

“They stopped us being able to move the ball well and we weren’t able to stop their’s.

“They put a lot of pressure on us early in the game and even though we were happy with the amount of pressure we put on them, they were just very good at being able to finish.”

Mitchell said there were some positives to come out of the game, in particular the performance of Cyril Rioli, who kicked four goals, and debutant Liam Shiels.

He echoed the sentiment of his coach, saying the Hawks never gave up on the game despite trailing by as much as eight goals, but would need to show some consistency to make an impact towards the end of the season.

“We didn’t give up and we kept trying our hardest the whole game.

“I thought Liam Shiels showed a little bit in his first game and there are some positives to come out of that, and Cyril played well again and did a few good things.

“I think we’re getting a lot of experience, we just need to be able to put four quarters together if we’re going to beat a side as good as Adelaide and play any part in finals footy.”