The Crows never recovered from a seven-goal-to-two first term as the Hawks ran out winners 19.10 (124) to 11.11 (77).
In great conditions for football, the Hawks flew out of the blocks with goals to Jarryd Roughead, Cyril Rioli and Lance Franklin; the three big guns capitalising on some slick ball movement during the opening exchanges.
By quarter time the Hawks were out to a five-goal lead and the writing was on the wall for the travelling Crows. Their defensive rocks in Ben Rutten and Nathan Bock were already on the wrong side of two goals each to Franklin and Roughead and seven Hawthorn majors from 14 inside 50s must have been troubling the Crows’ brains trust at quarter time.
The second term was a different story, with better ball use and a slower tempo more to the visitors’ liking and putting the Crows right back in the match before half time.
Their four goals, including two in a minute to small forward Patrick Dangerfield, saw them outstrip the Hawks for the quarter and put them within 15 points at the main break.
With the match becoming a real armwrestle in the third quarter, the Crows pushed hard at the Hawks but were unable to get genuinely close.
Horrible errors, one at either end, cost Adelaide the chance to be within a goal late in the third term.
One, a shocking miss from a Kurt Tippett set-shot, led to a Carl Peterson goal on the rebound and a nightmarish turnover from Brad Symes in the last line of defence saw the dominant Luke Hodge rewarded with his second goal and the Hawks taking a 22-point lead into the last change.
Roughead’s third, a clever snap from a boundary throw-in, put the first nail in the Crows’ coffin minutes into the final quarter. From there it was always going to be a Hawthorn win, and a big one at that, as the Crows’ disappointing season continued in the Tasmanian cold.
Hawthorn 7.2 9.3 13.4 19.10 (124)
Adelaide 2.3 6.6 9.6 11.11 (77)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Franklin 3, Roughead 3, Hodge 3, Rioli 3, Peterson 2, Osborne 2, Muston, Ellis, Guerra
Adelaide: Tippett 4, Dangerfield 2, Walker 2, Henderson, Douglas, Stevens
BEST
Hawthorn: Rioli, Hodge, Lewis, Mitchell, Roughead, Franklin
Adelaide: Douglas, Armstrong, Mackay, van Berlo, Tippett,
INJURIES
Hawthorn:
Adelaide: Thompson (eye)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Heath Ryan, Ray Chamberlain, Jason Armstrong
Official crowd: 16,167 at Aurora Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
