Much of the pre-match talk revolved around the last-minute withdrawals of Hawthorn running machine Isaac Smith and former skipper Sam Mitchell. Given their combined ability to extract and carry the ball, the suspicion was that the Hawks would badly miss both players against the desperate Dogs. As it was, however, Smith's replacement Taylor Duryea booted a first-quarter goal and was one of Hawthorn's best in transition. Will Langford struggled to have the impact a fit Mitchell may have, but was typically tough around the contest and epitomised the spirit of the willing 'soldiers' Alastair Clarkson values so dearly.

If the game was won solely on the tough stuff, the Western Bulldogs would be one of the AFL's best-performing sides. But as it happened on Sunday, the polish Hawthorn was able to apply when the game opened up was too much for the young Dogs to deal with. Hawthorn's weight of possession and better ball use allowed them to kick the first four goals of the game and it looked like getting ugly before the Bulldogs applied more consistent pressure to slow down the charging Hawks. They kept Hawthorn to two goals with the breeze during the second term but, unfortunately for the Dogs, were unable to register a major themselves, kicking just four behinds and one out-on-the-full in a disappointing return that saw them five goals down and essentially out of the contest by half-time.

Whether Sunday's match will be mentioned too often at Roughead family gatherings remains to be seen, but if it is it's Hawthorn's Jarryd Roughead who'll have the last laugh. When Jarryd and his Bulldog cousin Jordan went to each other at the opening bounce, an intriguing contest loomed. But by the time Jarryd kicked his third goal early in the second term, Jordan had turned his attention to one of Hawthorn's other tall forwards in David Hale and it was a matter of seeing how well Mark Austin could manage the big Hawk. While Jordan was serviceable down back and chipped in with a couple of strong contested marks, Jarryd finished the day with a six-goal haul in another impressive performance at Aurora Stadium.

At quarter-time in Launceston it was as much a case of asking Adam 'Who-ney' than reflecting on any kind of classic play from the 2008 Brownlow medallist. Capable of dominating a game when at his best, Cooney didn't register a stat during the opening term and battled to just five possessions – all uncontested – by the main break. Things didn't get any better during the third term with the veteran Bulldog subbed out having gathered just seven disposals in a terribly disappointing performance.

As the clock ticked down and the Hawks extended their final-quarter lead, the Hawthorn faithful could look to the AFL's live ladder with a deserved smile on their faces. Their side's five-goals-to-one final term meant the Hawks boosted their percentage to 141.1 and returned to top spot on the ladder. While it wasn't a particularly silky performance from the Hawks, Clarkson might justifiably believe the proof is in the pudding and his side finished round 19 exactly where he wanted it to be – on top of the ladder and surging towards a home qualifying final.