Round 7 – Hawthorn v Melbourne: It’s all good at the G
Hawthorn on the rebound proved a fearsome sight for the few Melbourne supporters who attended this afternoon’s game. With an over 100 points victory, as far as I know it was all good at the G today.
Isaac Smith was a surprise no-show (I don’t know what happened there), but I’d heard that Hale was in for McEvoy. Sitting in our usual seats in the southern section, I didn’t arrive in time to see the front of the banners, but assume Hawthorn’s probably mentioned Birchall’s 200th game. There was a lengthy article featuring him in the Footy Record. One new feature I did notice was the interchange bench listings in the LED displays on the Olympic Stand. A welcome development. In fact I missed the announcement of Melbourne subbing Christian Salem off, and only realised it had occurred when a red 3 went up on the Interchange bench sign.
Melbourne actually posted the first two goals of the match, one a nice running one from Garlett, but it was all one-way traffic after that, with the margin out to 26 points at the first break, and just getting bigger every quarter.
In the end Hawthorn had 13 different goal kickers, probably not a club record, but you never know, to Melbourne’s three.
A few notes from the first quarter include Roughead’s shank out of bounds, the score review which resulted in a Hale mark and subsequent goal, and a great one-handed mark from Roughead. Later in the game Suckling proved he was better at kicking for goal with a set shot from a fair way out than running in a lot closer. Puopolo completed another high-flying mark and kicking a goal combination. In the last quarter Breust did a brilliant intercept and kicked a goal. Roughead also featured in a bizarre bit of play where a lofted ball bounced in the goal square but came back into the field instead of going through the sticks.
I’d estimated the crowd at about 30 000 from where I was viewing, but the final figure came in at 41 935. Though there were so many empty seats, it was hard to judge if anyone left at three quarter time.
I assume the Dees have now ‘got’ just how good the Hawks are.
Hawthorn 24 11 155
Melbourne 7 8 50
Goals: Hawthorn – 4 Roughead; 3 Breust, Rioli; 2 Schoenmakers, Puopolo, Langford, Hale; 1 Suckling, Mitchell, Hill, Ceglar, Gunston, Hartung
Melbourne – 3 Pedersen, Garlett; 1 bail
Best: Hawthorn – Roughead, Rioli, Burgoyne, Ceglar, Langford, Mitchell, Hartung
Melbourne – Pedersen, Garlett, McDonald
My votes:
Roughead 3
Rioli 2
Burgoyne 1

About Alan Stewart
My first VFL memory is perched on my grandfather's shoulders watching a game at Glenferrie Oval during the school holidays, probably about 1968. Other football immersion is from many hours assisting my father doing maintenance or selling savs at the Tarrawingee football ground during the 1970s.
How exciting was the Hartung and Hill “beep beep” fest around the Southern Stand wing? The appreciative and anticipatory roar from the faithful as they set off brought a smile, and loved the sotto voce “here we go” on the commentary.