HOW Hawthorn lost to St Kilda will have coaches and fans scratching their heads long into next week after the Hawks coughed up a 28-point half-time lead to lose by five goals in an amazing contest at Telstra Dome on Saturday night.
In one of the turnarounds of the season, Hawthorn was outscored 12 goals to three after the main break to lose 18.11 (119) to 13.11 (89).
With second place up for grabs in the wake of the Western Bulldogs’ loss to Geelong earlier in the day, the Hawks look destined to fill the void after the first half.
It included three goals each to Mark Williams and Lance Franklin, starring midfield performances from Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Brad Sewell and a steady and cohesive backline display spearheaded by Trent Croad.
A 15-point quarter-time margin drifted to almost five goals at the long break as the Hawks controlled the contest all over the field.
Conversely, the Saints found it tough to turn possessions into scores.
At half time the Saints’ 203 possessions – 43 more than Hawthorn - had netted just six goals, while the Hawks led the inside 50 count 26-16.
But, from nowhere, the tide turned.
A game the Hawks had controlled in every way, shape and form in the first half, was suddenly becoming an each-way bet in the face of the third-quarter St Kilda onslaught.
Two goals in a minute to Nick Riewoldt sparked the Saints, who responded to the skipper’s call. Suddenly, everything the Saints did looked dangerous.
With Jason Blake running amok in the ruck – he kicked three for the term – and the midfield wresting control from the Hawks – the Saints kicked eight goals to two and turn a five-goal deficit into an eight-point lead at the final change.
The theme continued in the final term as the Saints set about burying the shell-shocked Hawks.
Hawthorn scored only one goal for the term while, at the other end, a besieged back half conceded four.
Williams and Franklin failed to add to their first-half goal tallies, while around the ground the likes of Sewell, Hodge, Mitchell, Chance Bateman and Xavier Ellis were also struggling to find the Sherrin.
In the end the Saints had 112 more possessions and by game’s end had equalled the inside-50 count (46 apiece).
The Hawks face reigning premier Geelong next Friday night in what has been billed as one of the games of the home-and-away season.
While it’s top-four aspirations are still well-and-truly alive, the Hawks will need to regroup if they are to threaten the pace-setting Cats in six days time.
ST KILDA 3.1 6.3 14.5 18.11 (119)
HAWTHORN 5.4 10.7 12.8 13.11 (89)
Goals
St Kilda: Riewoldt 6, Blake 3, Schneider 2, Dal Santo 2, Dempster, Koschitzke, Jones, Gram, Milne
Hawthorn: Williams 3, Franklin 3, Roughead 3, Hodge 2, Osborne 2
Best
St Kilda: Riewoldt, Blake, Dal Santo, Hayes, Montagna, Schneider, Ball, S.Fisher
Hawthorn: Hodge, Sewell, Williams, Roughead, Croad
Injuries
St Kilda: Nil
Hawthorn: Young (back) replaced in selected side by Lewis
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Stewart, Meredith, McInerney
Official crowd: 41,886 at Telstra Dome.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club or the AFL.
