Australian Football

Match Report

Hawthorn has claimed top spot on the ladder with a big win over GWS at York Park in Launceston on Saturday. Some pundits had forecast a much bigger margin than the eventual 83 points but the Giants employed several tags and extra numbers in defence to prevent the match from becoming a blow-out of disastrous proportions. The Hawks increased the lead at every change without ever going into overdrive, and were too experienced and polished for the young GWS team.

The Hawks attacked from the very beginning and had the first five scoring shots of the match, with goals to Jarryd Roughead, Liam Shiels, Luke Hodge and Shaun Burgoyne taking them to a 25-point lead halfway through the first term. But the Giants held their own for the remainder of the quarter, matching another two Hawthorn goals with two of their own through Rhys Palmer and Anthony Miles.

GWS opened the second quarter competitively with an early goal to Jeremy Cameron but the Hawks class showed through as the quarter went on and they took a 47-point lead into the long break.

To the Giants' credit, they took the game right up to Hawthorn in the third quarter. Roughead opened second-half proceedings when he was gifted a goal, courtesy of a shocking Tomas Bugg turnover. But the Giants scored the next two through Cameron and co-captain Tom Scully to cut Hawthorn's lead back to 41. Jack Gunston took it back out to 48 but Cameron kicked his third at the 12-minute mark to keep the Giants vaguely in touch. The remainder of the quarter was dominated by the defences, neither side scoring a goal until David Hale marked and goaled just before the three-quarter-time siren to give Hawthorn a 50-point lead at the last change.

GWS held on grimly in the early part of the final quarter, with Jeremy Cameron's fourth being the only goal of the first eight minutes. But Hawthorn turned up to heat to close out the game with the last six goals and win in a canter.

Roughead, who is having a fine season, was excellent for the Hawks, with five goals and 22 disposals, while Sam Mitchell (35 possessions, one goal) was his usual brilliant self. For GWS, Stephen Coniglio (28 touches), Cameron (four goals) and Rhys Palmer (22 disposals, one goal) were very good.

The Hawks have another winnable game to come in round nine; they meet the improving Gold Coast at the MCG. The Giants will try and opening their season account when they take on West Coast at the Sydney Showground on Saturday afternoon.

FUN MATCH FACT: The final score in this match, 140 v 57, was exactly the same as when Hawthorn won the 1983 Grand Final against Essendon. In both cases the vanquished coach was Kevin Sheedy.

GOALS
Hawthorn: Roughead 5; Gunston 3; Franklin, Burgoyne 2; Mitchell, Hodge, Shiels, Smith, Bailey, Hale, Puopolo, Sewell, Lewis
GWS: Cameron 4; Palmer, Adams, Bugg, Miles, Scully

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Roughead, Lewis, Hale, Burgoyne, Gunston
GWS: Coniglio, Cameron, Mohr, Palmer, Ward, Adams

BEST - THE AGE
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Gunston, Lewis, Simpkin, Roughead, Burgoyne, Hale
GWS: Coniglio, Palmer, Cameron, Adams, Scully, Ward

COACHES' COMMENTS
Alastair Clarkson: It was a tough day. The Giants decided the play a fair few numbers behind the ball and run two or three tags so it was a pretty lock-down, dull affair really. To get 12 or 13 goal-kickers, there was a really good spread once again. That's pleasing.

Kevin Sheedy: Concentration in the last couple of minutes hurt us badly in the first half and the last quarter. Most of the players are getting better. Their improvement is enormous. We just don't have the skill to own the ball and get the benefit of it.

SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: Michael Osborne replaced by Paul Puopolo during the third quarter
GWS: Lachie Whitfied replaced by Dylan Shiel at half-time

UMPIRES: Kamolins, Harris, Ryan