A STUTTERING Hawthorn has lost just its second game for the year, going down to North Melbourne by 27 points at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
The Hawks started every term slowly, and paid the price against a Roos team that was unrecognisable from the one the capitulated so meekly to Fremantle last week, losing 15.13 (103) to 10.16 (76).
Sam Mitchell was the best player on the ground by a mile, doing everything in his considerable powers to drag his team to a win, but terrible conversion cost the Hawks any chance of snatching the win, as they kicked more points than goals in every term.
Brent Guerra was good in defence, along with Grant Birchall, Rick Ladson and Stuart Dew. Jordan Lewis ran well to create and small forward Cyril Rioli was excellent through the middle.
The Roos were led by midfielders Daniel Harris and Brent Harvey, while Josh Gibson and Shannon Watt were good at the back, while at the other end, Shannon Grant showed the benefit of a rest last week, while Nathan Thompson also looked good just a week after surgery on his knee.
The first term started with a drama for the Roos as star midfielder Daniel Wells hit the deck on the outer wing with a right knee injury, but he returned later in the quarter with the knee heavily strapped. Despite that, it was all North in the first half of the term, with Matt Campbell and Shannon Grant slotting majors.
But the Hawthorn machine got going and first Mitchell then Luke Hodge goaled as the North defense was subjected to enormous pressure from the Hawks rolling zone, and at the first break the Roos led by just one point.
North kicked three of the first four goals of the second term, but the one to Hawthorn was a beauty to Lance Franklin. Mark Williams kicked it in, Franklin dropped the mark, but turned, grabbed it cleanly on the bounce and dribbled it through from 35.
Midway through the quarter, on the back of Mitchell's 12 touches for the term, the Hawks started using it better into the forward line, and they split the goals with a couple each, although Roughead's return of 1.2 in four minutes could have been better, and North led by an even two goals at half-time.
The third term was similar to the second, with the Roos getting the better start before the Hawks hit back mostly due to Mitchell. This time the Roos had the first three to get out to a five-goal break before Roughead's second and one from Hodge got it back to a very manageable 16 at the final change.
The Hawks went into the last term ranked one in the league for winning fourth quarters, having won 11 of 12 final terms, and the Roos were ranked 10th, but you wouldn't have known it as the Roos piled on the goals, scoring five to three as they strolled to a well-deserved win.
Next week, the Hawks play the Eagles at the MCG on Friday night.
Hawthorn 2.3 5.8 7.12 10.16 (76)
North Melbourne 2.4 7.8 10.10 15.13 (103)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Hodge 3, Roughead 2, Williams 2, Franklin, Mitchell, Boyle
North Melbourne: Thomas 4, Grant 3, Campbell 2, Jones 2, Harris, Harvey, Thompson, Wells
BEST
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Guerra, Hodge, Lewis, Birchall, Ladson
North Melbourne: Harris, Thomas, Harvey, Grant, Thompson, Gibson, Watt
INJURIES
Hawthorn: T Clarke (corked quad) replaced in the selected side by T Tuck.
North Melbourne: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Nicholls, Ellis, McInerney
Official crowd: 42,508 at the MCG
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
