Watch the Top 5 Fans' highlights from the win.

Essendon 1.4 3.7 9.11 12.14 (86)
Hawthorn 8.5 14.9 20.15 27.18 (180)

Best:  Essendon - Watson, Gumbleton, Howlett, Heppell, Carlisle
Hawthorn - Rioli, Hodge, Suckling, Gunston, Mitchell, Whitecross, Sewell

Crowd: 44,899 at Etihad Stadium

The Hawks emphatically defeated arch rivals Essendon on Friday night in a performance that was pleasing on all levels for the Hawks.

There was the domination of an opponent, accurate goal kicking, 12 individual goal kickers, another win without spearhead Lance Franklin and the returns of Luke Hodge and ruckman Max Bailey.

In his first game since Round 6, Hodge seamlessly slipped back into the AFL fold, with five goals and 16 disposals before being substituted out of the game at three-quarter time. It was the best return the Hawks could have hoped for, with Coach Alastair Clarkson admitting that Hodge’s form in his comeback game was beyond his “wildest dreams”.

Hodge formed part of a dangerous, unpredictable and ruthless forward line with regulars Jarryd Roughead, Luke Breust, Jack Gunston, Cyril Rioli and Paul Puopolo, all of whom had an impact on the match. The six forwards combined for a total of 15 of the Hawks’ 27 goals.

The Hawks burst out of the blocks on Friday night booting eight first quarter goals to open a 43-point lead at the first change. While the stats were fairly even at quarter time, it was the pressure the Hawks put on the Bombers that was telling.

The Hawks forced the Bombers to turn the ball over on a number of occasions and kept the Bombers to a disposal efficiency of 62 per cent, while going at an efficient 76 themselves. That meant that when the Hawks were moving the ball forward, they were able to find targets inside the forward 50 to capitalise on the good work up the field.

In the opening quarter, the Hawks found a forward target on eight occasions inside 50, compared to the Bombers taking just the two marks within scoring range. Credit too, must go to the defenders, Ryan Schoenmakers and Josh Gibson in particular who were dominant.

As has become a trademark of the Hawks this season, a premium was put on pressure, with the Hawks’ ability to close down the Bombers’ space insurmountable. Consequently, the Bombers ran at 65 per cent efficiency at the end of the match, whereas the Hawks were much better at 76 per cent.

The Hawks have, in recent weeks been able to capitalise on their strengths, and foot skills is certainly one. Matt Suckling was again one of the Hawks’ best booting four goals and grabbing 22 touches at 93 per cent efficiency. Other players noted for their exquisite skills also had an influence, with Brent Guerra (20 touches, 85 per cent efficiency), Grant Birchall (18 at 89 per cent), Gibson (18 at 94 per cent) and Hodge an incredible 16 disposals with 100 per cent efficiency.

While key performance indicators were close, clearances (43-41), contested possessions (135-128) and tackles (47-45) it was Hawthorn ability to shut down Essendon’s space, while finding a paddock themselves that led to the win.

The Hawks had 50 more uncontested possessions (257-207), 67 more effective kicks (188-121), which led to 23 more inside 50s (73-50) and nine more marks within scoring range (24-15).

When dissecting Friday night’s match, and how the Hawks were able to defeat the Bombers by such a margin comes down to one thing - pressure. Despite laying just 47 tackles, it seemed as though the Hawks had three or four extra players on the field, such was their ability to get numbers to the contest.

Forward pressure too, was important in restricting Essendon’s run from defence. In his return match, Hodge ensured Hawks players shut down Dustin Fletcher, not allowing the Bombers’ backman any space to get onto his right boot. Despite having 18 touches, Fletcher ran at just 56 per cent efficiency.

Cyril Rioli was again the highest ranked player in this area, with nine tackles in his 100th match for the Hawks. Rioli was arguably best afield in the win, with his skill, pace and ability to kick multiple goals too much for the Bombers to handle.

What Alastair Clarkson said: “We were pleased with our start without a doubt.

“To be able to stamp our authority on the game early was really important for us.

“The fact that we put so much scoreboard pressure on early meant that whatever they (Essendon) were trying, was deemed to be a failure so they had to change their ways - it’s very difficult to change your method of play midstream.