HAWTHORN has handed Adelaide a harsh reality check with a 56-point defeat at the MCG on Sunday.
The Crows were unbeaten going into the clash, but couldn't match the class of the Hawks, who broke the shackles in the second half to post an emphatic 21.14 (140) to 12.12 (84) win.
Josh Gibson put in an eye-catching display for Hawthorn, making life difficult for Adelaide's forwards in the air with 15 marks and providing excellent rebound with 29 possessions coming out of the back half.
The Hawks shared the load up forward with 13 goalkickers with Lance Franklin, who split his time evenly between midfield and attack, finishing with three goals.
Patrick Dangerfield led a Crows midfield that contained too many passengers with 27 disposals with Scott Thompson also prominent with 24.
Adelaide was keen to bottle up the play, which made for a scrappy start to the game, but when the Hawks were able clear the packs their ability to run in support of each other put the Crows under enormous pressure.
Hawthorn deserved its 19-point lead early in the first quarter, but Adelaide did well to slice that margin to six points at quarter-time with Kurt Tippett a key figure with two goals.
Both Tippett and Taylor Walker struggled for accuracy in front of goals in the first half and it would prove costly as the Hawks made their move with a quick-fire three-goal burst that set up their 23-point lead at half-time.
Hawthorn's ability to spread away from the packs and slice through the Crows' zone was well-illustrated by the lopsided uncontested possession count that saw the Hawks up by a whopping 151 to 75 at the main break.
However, it was Tippett's continued inaccuracy that proved more costly early in the second half.
The big Crow failed to convert a set shot from 20m out and Cyril Rioli, who had been well-held by Michael Doughty, made him pay just seconds later with a goal that sparked a Hawks' surge, which blew the margin out to 42 points with 16 minutes played.
That lead was 35 points as the final term got underway and Hawthorn set about finishing the job in clinical fashion with six goals to three for the quarter.
The match finished on a sour note for the Hawks, however, with Luke Breust stretchered from the ground after being knocked unconscious in a sickening clash with Brodie Martin while running back with the flight of the ball.
HAWTHORN 5.3 10.7 15.9 21.14 (140)
ADELAIDE 4.3 6.8 9.10 12.12 (84)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Breust 3, Franklin 3, Suckling 2, Hale 2, Lewis 2, Rioli 2, Whitecross, Burgoyne, Cheney, Gunston, Osborne, Shiels, Mitchell
Adelaide: Tippett 3, Callinan 3, Lynch 2, Porplyzia, Doughty, Vince, Reilly
BEST
Hawthorn: Gibson, Lewis, Franklin, Whitecross, Suckling, Guerra, Breust
Adelaide: Thompson, Dangerfield, Callinan, Doughty, Jacobs
INJURIES
Hawthorn: McCauley (stomach virus) replaced in selected side by Young, Birchall (calf), Breust (concussion), Hale (dislocated finger)
Adelaide: Henderson (soreness) replaced in selection side by Kerridge
SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: Shane Savage replaced Grant Birchall (corked knee) at three-quarter time
Adelaide: Sam Kerridge replaced Tom Lynch in the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Margetts, Leppard, McInerney
Official crowd: 33,524 at the MCG
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club
