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Hawthorn 2.4 10.9 13.12 17.17 (119)
Fremantle 0.3 2.6 7.8 9.9 (63)

Best: Hawthorn - Roughead, Sewell, Rioli, Young, Mitchell, Lewis, Breust.
Fremantle - Barlow, Crowley, Sandilands, Mzungu, Hill.

Crowd: 12, 959 at Aurora Stadium

The Hawks systematically dismantled the Dockers at Aurora Stadium on Saturday in a dominant first half that set up a 51-point half time lead.
Signs were good for the Hawks early in the first, as the game was being played almost exclusively in the Hawthorn forward half.

What was a concern, however, was the disposal heading into the forward 50, as the Fremantle defence were able to set up two-on-one and three-on-one defensive tactics to intercept the ball and deny Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead the opportunity to stamp their authority on the match.

The Hawks had 20 inside 50s in the first, but the Dockers had 16 rebounds from defensive 50, meaning that the Hawks were unable to find a target to set up a scoring opportunity. It also meant though, that the systems the Dockers had in place for restricting Franklin and Roughead’s influence was working.

In the second term, however, Cyril Rioli came to life both with ball in hand and without. Rioli sparked the Hawks with a number of tackles and pressure acts that forced the Dockers defence to turn the ball over. He had six tackles to half time and a hand in a number of goals kicked for the Hawks in an impressive second quarter.

Coach Alastair Clarkson must have been pleased with what he saw from the well-executed frontal pressure in the second term, as Rioli’s efforts were backed up by teammates, and their ability to get into the right position.

Interestingly, the Hawks trailed the tackle count at half time, 29-33 but it felt as though Hawthorn had laid double that of Fremantle, such was the effectiveness of their pressure.

The second term was a domination in every sense of the word from the Hawks, as they dominated play and locked the footy in their forward half. Alarmingly for Fremantle coach Ross Lyon, the Hawks had enjoyed the ball in their forward half 63 per cent of the time, to just 37 per cent for the Dockers.

It was little wonder Fremantle had managed just two goals to half time, while the Hawks piled on 10 goals, including a massive return of eight in that dominant second quarter.

For the second week in a row, the Hawks smashed their opponents at the clearances, 48-24 - a stat that would no doubt have left Clarkson and his crop of talented midfielders satisfied. The work of Roughead and David Hale in the ruck, to nullify Aaron Sandilands’ influence was heroic, with Roughead one of the Hawks’ best players.

The midfielders, led by Sam Mitchell were outstanding. Mitchell led the way, despite gathering just 21 disposals. He managed eight clearances, showing once again how important he is to the Hawks’ midfield set up. Liam Shiels was again prominent, as he continues to improve, clearing the ball seven times, while Jordan Lewis (five), Brad Sewell (four) and David Hale (four) got the ball going forward from the stoppages.

The clearance differential, combined with the Hawks’ hunger to chase, tackle and pressure their opponents resulted in 30 more inside 50s, as dominant as any side has been so far this season. While the Hawks gave their forwards a number of opportunities to have an impact, the story at the other end was in stark contrast. The Hawks allowed the Dockers to enter their 50 just 37 times, for 18 scoring shots.

Clinton Young played one of his best games for the season, as he showed that he adds another dimension to the Hawks when fit and firing. His teammates gave him the ball at every opportunity, so he could use his lethal left boot to maximum advantage. He had 25 disposals, kicked a goal and laid four tackles to show that he is still be a valuable asset to the Hawthorn side.

What Alastair Clarkson said: “You need to work out a method (when facing Sandilands) to win the clearances and give yourself a chance to get the ball forward. In the second quarter, we were able to do that really well.

Sewell, Mitchell, Shiels, Lewis and these guys in the middle of the ground gave us first supply. It was an area of the game that was a significant threat for us but to win so convincingly in the middle of the ground went a long way towards us getting the chances inside 50 and then being able to post a score.”