Australian Football

Match Report

In a somewhat lacklustre match, Hawthorn has defeated by 42 points at York Park in Launceston to move into the top four on the AFL ladder. The Hawks have now won three matches in a row after their narrow round one loss to Geelong and they look well placed for another assault on the premiership. The Dockers on the other hand have slipped from 2-0 back to 2-2 and now find themselves out of the eight, with a tough match to come against Richmond (3-1) on Friday night.

The York Park match was virtually as good as over at quarter time as the Hawks burst out of the blocks with the first five goals of the match, through Cyril Rioli (two), Luke Breust, Shaun Burgoyne and Jarryd Roughead. The Dockers managed to work their way into the match in the second quarter, kicking five goals of their own but they were unable to stem the flow at the other end of the ground, as the Hawks also added five more.

The game took on a more Ross Lyon-style in the third quarter, as defences tightened and each team registered just three goals. At three-quarter time the five-goal buffer that Hawthorn had established in the first term remained and Fremantle would need to kick the first goal of the last quarter to have any chance. Kepler Bradley provided the Dockers with just that and the margin was back to 23 points at the three-minute mark. Lance Franklin got one back for Hawthorn but Fremantle kicked the next two through Hayden Ballantyne and David Mindy to reduce the difference to just 17.

But Lance Franklin responded again at the 16-minute mark and the Hawks then kicked the last three goals of the match (two to Roughead and one to Breust) as the Hawks coasted to a seven-goal win.

Grant Birchall and Shaun Burgoyne were standouts for Hawthorn, while Fyfe and Barlow were tireless contributors for Fremantle.

While the Dockers return to Subiaco to meet the Tigers, the Hawks next match will be against North Melbourne at the MCG. The Kangaroos will still be having nightmares of the last meeting between these two sides, in which Buddy Franklin kicked 13 goals.

GOALS
Hawthorn: Franklin 4; Roughead 4; Rioli 3; Burgoyne, Breust 2; Birchall, Lewis, Franklin
Fremantle: Bradley 3; Mayne 2; Mundy, Sutcliffe, Crowley, Mayne, Walters, Neale

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Hawthorn: Burgoyne, Rioli, Birchall, Mitchell, Stratton, Bailey, Franklin
Fremantle: Fyfe, Barlow, Mundy, Mayne, Walters, Bradley

BEST - THE AGE
Hawthorn: Birchall, Burgoyne, Stratton, Mitchell, Bailey, Smith, Franklin
Fremantle: Fyfe, Barlow, Mundy, Bradley, Walters

COACHES' COMMENTS
Alastair Clarkson (Haw): To kick 18 goals against Fremantle is a pretty good effort. They're renowned as a really tight, defensive unit. We weren't as polished with our ball use as we would have liked but is because of us or the defence that Fremantle applied. I don't think the game rose to any great heights today but we're really pleased to bank the four points.

Ross Lyon (Frem): Hawthorn jumped us out of the blocks, so a disappointing first quarter. I thought they were really dominant all of the ground, in all areas. We gathered ourselves, changed a few things at the break and I thought we really fought on really well. Can't ignore the start but I thought after that [we showed some] really good character and some good method.

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Guerra (soreness) replaced in selected side by Savage; Schoenmakers (knee)
Fremantle: McPharlin (concussion) replaced in selected side by Smith

SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: Shane Savage replaced Ryan Schoenmakers (knee) during the second quarter
Fremantle: Lachie Neale replaced Nick Suban (tactical) during the second quarter

UMPIRES: Nicholls, Wenn, Foot