Australian Football

Match Report

Hawthorn remains entrenched inside the top four after it defeated a gallant Adelaide Crows outfit by two goals on Friday night. After kicking three of the first goals of the match, the Hawks were challenged by Adelaide several times during the night, briefly surrendering the lead in the second and third quarters, but found goals at just the right times to record an important victory.

The Crows got off to a perfect start when James Podsiadly marked near the boundary and kicked a long goal from beyond the 50-metre line, but the Hawks - and in particular Jack Gunston - soon found their groove, kicking the next three majors. All three were to Gunston, who drew loud boos from the Adelaide fans as he kicked each one. Gunston turned his back on the Crows after the 2011 season to move to Hawthorn. Jonathon Ceglar added another goal for the Hawks at the 20-minute mark but late goals to Taylor Walker and Matthew Wright brought the quarter-time deficit back to a manageable nine points for the Crows.

After Jonathan Simpkin kicked the first major of the second term for Hawthorn, the Crows got on a bit of a roll, kicking four of the next five goals via 200-gamer Eddie Betts, Josh Jenkins (two) and Podsiadly and found themselves six points ahead at the 22-minute mark. Ben McEvoy levelled the scores at the other end and then Luke Breust scored a goal just before the half-time siren to take a six-point lead into the long break.

Shaun Burgoyne extended that margin to 12 with the first goal of the third term but the Crows again got on a roll and, as they had done in the second quarter, kicked four of the next five goals - three of those to Jenkins to lead by five halfway through the term. Hawthorn responded once more though, and goals to Gunston , Breust and Taylor Duryea saw the Hawks leading by 17 points at the last change of ends.

Needing the first goal of the final term to give themselves a chance, the Crows achieved that aim via Brodie Smith, although that was not before Hawthorn had managed a string of four behinds. Smith's goals made the margin 15 points but Breust and Ceglar virtually put the result beyond doubt with the next two goals. The Crows fought valiantly on, kicking the last 2.3 of the match, but it was the Hawks who had prevailed by 12 points when the final siren sounded.

Best for the Hawks included Sam Mitchell, who had 28 disposals and laid eight tackles, and skipper Luke Hodge (26 possessions, seven tackles), while the Crows' Patrick Dangerfield (41 touches and six tackles) and Josh Jenkins (five goals) had outstanding games for the home side. While the win keeps Hawthorn comfortably inside the top four, the loss leaves Adelaide still one game outside the top eight with six matches to play. The Hawks will  have a week off before hosting Sydney at the MCG on Saturday night in two weeks, while Adelaide will also have next weekend off before meeting Collingwood, also at the MCG, in two weeks. A win against the Pies would see the Crows in the eight, while a loss could see them two games away from eighth place.

GOALS
Adelaide: Jenkins 5; Podsiadly, Walker 2; Wright, Betts, Lynch, Smith
Hawthorn: Gunston 4; Breust 3; Simpkin, McEvoy, Ceglar 2; Burgoyne, Duryea

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Adelaide: Dangerfield, Crouch, Jacobs, Smith, Sloane, Jenkins
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Birchall, Gunston, Suckling, Hodge, Simpkin

BEST - SPORTAL.COM.AU
Adelaide: Jenkins, Dangerfield, Sloane, Smith, Jacobs, Podsiadly
Hawthorn: Hodge, Gunston, Ceglar, Mitchell, Birchall, Scoenmakers

INJURIES
Adelaide: Nil
Hawthorn: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Adelaide: Scott Thompson replaced by Jason Porplyzia in the final quarter.
Hawthorn: Will Langford replaced by Ben Ross in the final quarter.

UMPIRES: Nicholls, Chamberlain, McInerney

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

COMMENTATORS: Bruce McAvaney, Dennis Cometti, Leigh Matthews, Tom Harley, Wayne Carey, Matthew Richardson