Australian Football

Match Report

Hawthorn guaranteed itself a place in the top two and consigned Collingwood to the 2014 scrapheap with a big win over the Magpies at the MCG on Friday night, in front of a somewhat disappointing crowd of 48,973. The Magpies had the better of the first term but once the Hawks got going in the second term, there would be no stopping them as they powered away to win by 65 points.

The Magpies opened the match brightly, with first-gamer Corey Gault and Alex Fasolo scoring goals in the first 11 minutes. Jack Gunston scored Hawthorn's only goal of the first term just before quarter time and at the first change, the Magpies held slender five-point lead. That lead evaporated at the four-minute mark of the second quarter when Jarryd Roughead kicked his first but the Magpies briefly regained it when Gault kicked his second two minutes later. But when Gunston also kicked his second at the seven-minute mark, it set Hawthorn alight and the Hawks five more for the quarter to just one for Collingwood, to lead by 26 points at the long break.

Collingwood did not get a look in in the second half, as the Hawks kicked four goals to one in the third term to take a 43-point advantage into the last quarter. Hawthorn did not take its foot off the accelerator in that last term, kicking six more goals to Collingwood's three and when the final siren sounded the Hawks had one by just one point shy of 11 goals.

Jordan Lewis was magnificent for the Hawks, with 34 disposals and 11 marks, with Jack Gunston (five goals, nine marks) and Sam Mitchell (30 touches and eight marks) also playing starring roles. For the Magpies, Steele Sidebottom (36 possessions, four marks), Scott Pendlebury 28 touches and three tackles) and Luke Ball in his final AFL match (21 disposals, seven tackles) had excellent games.

The win cemented a second-place finish for Hawthorn, who will take on Geelong in a Qualifying Final at the MCG next Friday night. For Collingwood, the loss was a disappointing end to a season that tailed away in the latter stages. The Magpies were 8-3 and in the top four after round 12 but ended with just 11 wins and in 11th place on the ladder.

GOALS
Collingwood: White, Gault 2; Fasolo, Sidebottom, Broomhead, Blair
Hawthorn: Gunston 5; Roughead 4; Hale, Puopolo 2; Ceglar, Lewis, Breust, Simpkin, Hartung

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Collingwood: Sidebottom, Pendlebury, White, Ball
Hawthorn: Lewis, Mitchell, Roughead, Gunston, Burgoyne, Gibson, Smith

BEST - SPORTAL.COM.AU
Collingwood: Pendlebury, Sidebottom, Ball, White, Langdon
Hawthorn: Lewis, Gunston, Roughead, Gibson, Simpkin, Mitchell, Smith 

INJURIES
Collingwood: Dwyer (right ankle)
Hawthorn: Lake (right hip)

SUBSTITUTES
Collingwood: Brodie Grundy replaced by Paul Seedsman at half time
Hawthorn: Brian Lake replaced by Billy Hartung at three-quarter time

UMPIRES: Chamberlain, Kamolins, Ryan

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Seven Network

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