Friday night’s game was a tale of two halves. Well, a tale of one quarter and three quarters, to be exact.
It was a horror start for the Hawks, who found themselves trailing by 31 points late in the first quarter.
Efficiency was a major issue, with the Hawks going at 47% efficiency by foot.
Down on the stat sheet in clearances, tackles, forward 50 entries and nearly every statistic you can think of, Alastair Clarkson’s men were in dire need of a response - and the one they provided was nothing short of emphatic.
It was young Will Day’s creative goal that sparked it, and Hawthorn’s teamwork and application that finished it.
By game’s end, efficiency by foot increased to 68% (vs the Blues’ 57%), while efficiency inside 50 rose to 55% (vs the Blues’ 39%).
Big Hawk duo Jonathon Ceglar (22 hitouts) and Ben McEvoy (19 hitouts) were dominant in the ruck, causing headaches for former Hawk Marc Pittonet (15 hitouts) who shouldered the bulk of Carlton's ruck work on his own.
Despite losing the clearances 35-23, the Hawks midfielders’ two-way running paid dividends, with James Worpel registering seven intercept possessions, and Tom Mitchell (17 pressure acts, eight tackles), Jaeger O’Meara (15 pressure acts) and Liam Shiels (14 pressure acts) all making their presence known.
Such a resounding win is sure to inject some much-needed confidence in a team that looked lost in their previous four outings.
With the Dockers coming off a surprise win over the Pies, the Hawks will be eager to capitalise on the momentum when they return to Optus Stadium to do battle next Monday night.
