IT’S A long way back from here.

Collingwood’s premiership defence is officially on the brink after Hawthorn clinically dismantled the reigning premiers by 66 points at the MCG on Saturday. 

After starting the season 0-3, the Magpies have now lost four consecutive games for the first time since Craig McRae became senior coach and will end the weekend two games outside the eight, appearing destined for a September without football. 

HAWKS v MAGPIES Full match coverage and stats

It was death by a thousand methodical cuts.

Hawthorn led for all but two and a half minutes and were never challenged, taking another big scalp 20.13 (133) to 9.13 (67) on a defining day for a club on the rise.

While the Magpies reached Easter without a win, the Hawks didn’t get on the board for the first time in 2024 until late April, but since then they have won 10 games and are surging towards a return to September for the first time since 2018. 

After winning eight games in Sam Mitchell’s first season in charge, followed by seven in 2023, not even those inside Waverley Park saw this coming. Suddenly, Hawthorn is now only outside the top-eight on percentage and can start daring to dream after a day where it kicked ten unanswered goals to all but eliminate Collingwood in the middle of July. 

Jack Ginnivan was built for games like this. The box office star relished his first opportunity to face the side that traded him away on the MCG, following the entrée at the Adelaide Oval during Gather Round. 

The small forward delivered as the main attraction on a stage where four points felt as good as eight, amassing a career-high 31 disposals, 11 score involvements, three tackles inside 50 and two goals amid plenty of defining moments. 

Connor Macdonald demonstrated his class with a personal best four goals, veteran goalsneak Luke Breust kicked four, while Nick Watson showed why he was taken at pick No. 5 in last November’s AFL Draft, swatting away his goalkicking demons with 3.0 and picking up where he left off after kicking the matchwinner in Launceston last Saturday. 

Hawthorn smashed Collingwood in the middle, accumulating a staggering 146 more disposals, 132 more inside 50s and 29 more contested possessions, on the back of an even spread of contribution led by James Worpel, Conor Nash, Jai Newcombe and Will Day.   

The build-up felt like a final and it lived up to it early. High stakes with high-pressure moments. Darcy Moore took two intercepts after another week of focus, before Dan McStay got involved early. But then it was all Hawthorn. 

Lloyd Meek was integral to Hawthorn’s first scores, cleverly creating goals for James Worpel and Luke Breust with deft tap work. Hawthorn’s pressure was the difference from the outset. Five Hawks pounced on Josh Daicos and were rewarded with a holding the ball call, which summed up the intent of Hawthorn.

Ginnivan reacquainted himself with some of his premiership teammates, especially Brayden Maynard, after Watson received a high free kick 30m directly in front and converted. 

Then the rain arrived in a sudden downpour, changing the conditions instantly. Watson thrives in the wet, though. He weaved through traffic before snapping a goal to savour. Collingwood’s season was teetering from that moment. 

When Breust and Connor Macdonald each kicked their second goals in time-on in the second term, the game was as good as over. Collingwood had kicked 11 consecutive behinds after Pat Lipinski kicked the Magpies’ only goal of the first half five minutes into the game, and had only put the ball inside 50 on 17 occasions. It was a slow death for a side that has enjoyed a glorious ride for two and a half seasons. 

Nothing changed after half-time. Watson did the right thing running towards goal deep in the pocket, centering the ball to Massimo D’Ambrosio rather than taking a low percentage shot from the boundary line. It was a sign of the growth of the teenage small forward from the Eastern Ranges.

Watson was rewarded minutes later with his third major. After starting his AFL career with 7.19 and seven shots without scoring, the 2023 pick No. 5 had 3.0 on the board, much to the enjoyment of Hawthorn supporters cold and soaking wet, but happy. 

Jordan De Goey ended a run of two-and-a-half quarters without a goal when he drilled a shot on the run late in the third quarter, stopping a sequence of ten straight Hawthorn goals. But it didn’t change things. Ginnivan responded almost instantly, landing the blow he wanted against the side that was happy to see the back of him. 

Mabior Chol and Breust cashed in late with two fourth-quarter goals on a night that will be remembered for essentially ending Collingwood’s season, as much as Hawthorn taking a significant step forward.

MRO concerns for Maynard?
There was no love lost between Brayden Maynard and Jack Ginnivan. The premiership teammates were involved in a heated tussle at the city end of the ground that sparked a melee in the second quarter. Then moments later, Maynard collected Ginnivan in the head with a high fend off that will be assessed by the Match Review Officer, given it landed heavily on the small forward.

Back to the backline
James Sicily returned to his natural habitat in defence after starring in the second half last weekend as a forward. The skipper didn’t display too many signs of the shoulder issues that have impacted his season, playing a key role down back before finishing the final ten minutes on the bench. Sicily collected 30 disposals, 10 intercept possessions and amassed a game-high 612 metres gained. 

McStay returns in under eight months
Just 232 days after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament at the start of the pre-season, Dan McStay returned at AFL level after making a successful return in the VFL last week. With no Brody Mihocek, and Mason Cox playing in the VFL on Sunday, McStay provided a target between the arcs but didn’t take his chances, missing two shots before converting a goal late. The former Lion showed glimpses of the important link player he was in 2023. 

HAWTHORN           3.3     7.8     12.9     20.13 (133)
COLLINGWOOD        1.4     1.11     4.12     9.13 (67)

GOALS
Hawthorn:   Macdonald 4, Breust 4, Watson 3, Ginnivan 2, D’Ambrosio 2, Chol 2, Worpel, Newcombe, Impey
Collingwood: Sidebottom 2, Hill 2, McStay, McInnes, Elliott, De Goey, N. Daicos

BEST
Hawthorn: Ginnivan, D’Ambrosio, Nash, Macdonald, Moore, Newcombe, Worpel, Sicily
Collingwood: Cameron, N.Daicos, J.Daicos, De Goey

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil 
Collingwood: Kreuger (concussion)  

SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn:  Finn Maginness replaced Calsher Dear in the third quarter
Collingwood: Lachie Sullivan replaced Nathan Kreuger in the second quarter

Crowd: 74,171 at the MCG