Round 5 – Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs: Ruthless Hawks dazzle as Dogs get a reality check

 

Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs

7:35pm, Saturday April 11th

Adelaide Oval

 

 

Saturday night at the Adelaide Oval promised to be the game of the round, however it was Sam Mitchell’s Hawks who extended their winning streak to five against the Dogs, as they handed them their first loss of the season.

 

The dominant Hawks display made for an ugly scoreline for the Dogs. Their loss was soured by another Ed Richards injury concern late in the final term, coming away from a Saturday to forget, losing 15.14 (104) to 8.16 (64).

 

Jai Newcombe proved too much for the Dogs midfield to handle yet again, producing a best on ground performance, (28 disposals, 14 clearances and one goal). His ability to burst from inside the stoppage to outside was game breaking as he constantly put his teammates in strong positions with the footy.

 

Jack Ginnivan produced another eye-catching performance as he continued his strong form playing up the ground, using his creativity and footy smarts in a classy display (28 disposals and one goal).

 

The Hawks had many standout performers however it was the triumphant display from their three key men down back that built the base for a successful night at the office. James Sicily, Tom Barrass and Josh Battle were the glue for their side, intercepting everything that came their way and keeping the Bulldogs’ key forwards in Sam Darcy and Aaron Naughton to three goals combined for the whole evening.

 

Hawks forward Mitch Lewis continued his comeback from an ACL injury, producing three goals alongside Jack Gunston who continued his strong form.

 

Without star ruck Tim English it was all too much for the Dogs star-studded midfield as first gamer Louis Emmett struggled to contain the physicality from the Hawks ruck duo in Lloyd Meek and Ned Reeves who gave their midfielders first use of the footy all evening, dominating the stoppage battle (34-16 in clearances).

 

The Hawks also kicked six goals from stoppage as the Dogs’ defence was left scrambling.

 

Hawthorn’s strong start set the game up in wet conditions, as they held the Dogs goalless in the second term, frustrating Luke Beveridge’s side who couldn’t get past the staunch Hawks backline. The most potent attacking team in the competition was left with no answers as they trailed by 44 points through the third quarter.

 

The Hawks built on the first half of pressure, producing 25 tackles inside 50 to the Dogs’ six for the game. It was a possessive style of play from Hawthorn’s ball users, often willing to control the ball through switching it and coming back through the corridor which opened up the Dogs defense, exposing their flaws from last season.

 

The Bulldogs mounted a case for a Gather Round comeback with late goals in the third reducing the margin to 21 points at the final break, however petrol tickets were spent for the boys from the west as the Hawks ran away with a five-goal last quarter to sit pretty in third spot.

 

On a night where positives were hard to find for the Pups, skipper Marcus Bontempelli worked all evening to rack up 26 disposals as well as young star Rylee Sanders who had 25 of his own in demanding conditions. On another difficult Gather Round trip, the Dogs leave the City of Churches a fourth consecutive time without premiership points in the special round.

 

Bevo’s men face a challenging next three weeks without a host of stars as they will sweat on the results of Richards’ ankle injury in what would be a cruel blow following their hot start, as a trip down the highway to Geelong awaits them.

 

The Hawks, led by Mitchell, will be feeling good about their game as they continue to mount their case for a shot at this year’s premiership. An unbreakable backline, and a livewire front half will have the Hawks fans dreaming of more success as they take on the Power at Marvel Stadium this weekend.

 

 

HAWTHORN                     4.2   7.5   10.10   15.14 (104)
WESTERN BULLDOGS    2.3   2.7    6.13    8.16 (64)

 

GOALS
Hawthorn: Lewis, Gunston 3, Moore 2, Weddle, Watson, Newcombe, Meek, Macdonald, Ginnivan, Reeves
Western Bulldogs: Darcy 2, Naughton, Hynes, Gallagher, Freijah, Dolan, Croft

 

BEST
Hawthorn: Ginnivan, Lewis, Sicily, Newcombe, Battle, Meek
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Dale, Kennedy, Richards, Sanders

 

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