Australian Football

Match Report

Brendon Bolton's first engagement as senior coach of Hawthorn turned out to be a far more anxious affair than he or most other football pundits would have expected, as the Hawks managed to squeak home by just seven points against a gallant GWS at the MCG on Sunday. Bolton had been unexpectedly thrust into the senior role after regular coach Alastair Clarkson was given an enforced lay-off after being diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome during last week.

With the Giants coming off two consecutive defeats of over 100 points, Bolton could have been forgiven for expecting and hoping that his first day "in the office" would be a relatively comfortable affair. But GWS had other ideas and was switched on from the beginning. After Jack Gunston kicked the first goal of the game for the Hawks, the Giants were in everything and kicked four of the remaining six goals for the term to take a six-point lead into the first break.

The Hawks gained the lead with two early goals in the second term and when they nudged 13-points clear at the 23-minute mark it appeared that GWS's resistance was waning. But a late goal to Will Hoskin-Elliott saw the margin cut back to just seven points at the long break.

Far from dropping away, the Giants came out even more strongly in the third quarter, kicking five goals to two in the first 25 minutes of the term to lead by 11 points. A late brace of goals to Gunston and Isaac Smith saw the Hawks pinch back a one-point lead at the last change of ends.

Hawthorn kicked the last goal of the final term via Jarryd Roughead but the Giants were not prepared to give this game up at any stage, and Jonathan Patton responded at the eight-minute mark to cut the Hawks' lead back to just three. Smith and Gunston goaled again but still GWS came. A goal to Adam Treloar brought the margin back to seven points and Patton had a chance to reduce that to one with time remaining but he missed a shot from close range. In the end, the Hawks just held on to prevail by seven points in an unexpectedly highly entertaining match.

Isaac Smith (four goals, 23 possessions) and Liam Shiels (24 disposals, five tackles) were excellent fir the winners, while Dylan Smith (four goals, 10 tackles) and Callan Ward (13 tackles, 29 touches) had great games for the Giants.

In second place with a 7-3 record, the Hawks will meet West Coast at York Park next Saturday afternoon, while the Giants will host Essendon at the Sydney Showground later that evening.

GOALS Hawthorn: I. Smith, Gunston 4; Breust, Roughead 2; Sewell, Langford
GWS: D. Smith 4; Hoskin-Elliott 2; Patton, Palmer, Shiel, Cameron, Palmer, Patton, Treloar

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Hawthorn: I. Smith, Gunston, Birchall, Hodge, Shiels, Litherland
GWS: Whitfield, D. Smith, Ward, Scully, Treloar, Shaw

BEST - SPORTAL.COM.AU
Hawthorn: Smith, Hodge, Gunston, Sewell, Shiels, Litherland
GWS: Smith, Ward, Whitfield, Treloar, Scully

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Jordan Lewis (adductor) replaced in selected side by Will Langford; Hale (quad)
GWS: Whitfield (knee), Cameron (forearm)

SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: David Hale (quad) replaced by Billy Hartung in the third quarter
GWS: Aidan Corr replaced by Dylan Addison in the third quarter

REPORTS
Hawthorn: Nil
GWS: Jeremy Cameron reported for rough conduct on Jarryd Roughead (Hawthorn)

UMPIRES: Leppard, O'Gorman, Meredith

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Dwayne Russell, Dermott Brereton, Gerard Healy, Cameron Mooney