HAWTHORN has flexed its muscles on and off the ball to overwhelm North Melbourne by 60 points in a fiery clash at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night. 

The Hawks were switched on from the opening bounce against the Roos, seemingly determined to atone for the slow starts that proved costly in their recent losses to Port Adelaide (round four) and Essendon (round two). 

The reigning premiers piled on a season-high six goals in the first term but while that quarter set the tone for their 19.16 (130) to 10.10 (70) win it might also cost them their captain and one of their two vice-captains for next Saturday's clash with Greater Western Sydney.

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Joint Hawks vice-captain Jordan Lewis was reported at the 24-minute mark of the first quarter for a late and crude round-arm spoil that collected North ruckman Todd Goldstein in the head. 

Ten minutes earlier, Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge hit North counterpart Andrew Swallow with a left forearm to the jaw that momentarily put the North skipper on the ground.

Hodge was not reported for the incident but it is likely to attract the attention of the Match Review Panel.

Much of Saturday night's game was played at a frenetic pace as both teams, especially North, looked to move the ball quickly at every opportunity.

The Roos' attack on the ball and defensive pressure could not be questioned but the Hawks proved too classy, slicing through their defences with clinical foot skills. 

Five talking points: North Melbourne v Hawthorn

Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said his team had been focused on making a fast start against North and was pleased to "apply a little bit of scoreboard pressure" early in the game.

"They're always pretty spirited contests against the Kangas. We've got a healthy rivalry with them, they're always great contests," Clarkson said.

"The final margin was perhaps a little bit of a blow out, because I didn't think it was reflective of the spirit of the contest over the course of the night.

"It was a really good game of footy and at different stages it looked really threatening that North were going to get themselves back into the game, particularly in patches in that third quarter.

"But we were really pleased with our resilience and bouncing back from a disappointing early part of the game last week."

Click here to watch Alastair Clarkson's full post-match media conference

Jack Gunston was outstanding for the Hawks, working tirelessly up and down the ground to finish with 23 possessions, 13 marks and 4.3. 

Sam Mitchell (33 possessions and one goal) as much as anyone personified the difference between the teams, his sure ball use through the midfield standing out in what was occasionally a scrappy affair.

Luke Breust (four goals) was a dangerous foil to Gunston in attack, Grant Birchall (24 possessions) and Hodge (21) were creative sweepers in defence and Isaac Smith (28 and two goals) provided the Hawks with much of their midfield run.

The Hawks' undermanned backline stood up well in the absence of Brian Lake (knee) and James Frawley (pectoral), although it was aided by the pre-match withdrawal of North spearhead Jarrad Waite with a hamstring injury. 

Josh Gibson kept Drew Petrie to two goals, Ben Stratton blanketed Waite's late replacement Aaron Black and Ryan Schoenmakers, playing his first game for the season, was serviceable even if he lowered his colours to the busy Ben Brown (three goals). 

North coach Brad Scott said the most disappointing aspect of his team's performance was that it was out-worked by the Hawks.

"Hawthorn were good, they responded the way good sides respond after a loss and we were poor, so I thought that that was the margin in the end," Scott said.

"I thought in and around the contests, the clearances, the contested possession for most of the night was pretty good.

"But we got out-worked and that was the really disappointing part for us because it's a part of our game that we pride ourselves on and we're usually pretty good at."

Click here to watch Brad Scott's post-match media conference

North celebrated the 40th anniversary of its first premiership in 1975 before Saturday night's game but did not produce a performance befitting the occasion. 

After trailing by 23 points at half-time, the Roos faded badly in the second half, with their night soured even further when Swallow was substituted from the game after copping a high tackle from Stratton late in the third term.

Brent Harvey (30 possessions) tried hard all night to generate run for North across half-back, Todd Goldstein was solid in the ruck, Jack Ziebell threw himself in with his trademark courage at stoppages and Sam Wright stood up well in defence.

Before Saturday night's game, the Hawks had not kicked more than three goals in a first quarter this year – and kicked just one in each of their losses to Essendon and Port Adelaide – but they slammed on six in a spiteful first quarter against the Roos. 

The Roos led by five points at the 13-minute of the first term when Lindsay Thomas put through their third goal, but the Hawks kicked the quarter's final four goals – two of them to Breust – to go into the first break 21 points up. 

The second quarter was played at a frantic pace, with both teams taking the game on at every opportunity.

However, the relentless pressure being applied by both sides made it hard to score, with the Hawks and Roos adding one goal a piece in a term that ran for just 25 minutes and 30 seconds.

The Hawks extended their quarter-time lead by two points to lead by 23 points at the main break.

The incident that saw Jordan Lewis reported for striking Todd Goldstein. Picture: Getty Images



NORTH MELBOURNE  3.1   4.3    7.8     10.10 (70)
HAWTHORN                 6.4   7.8  12.13  19.16 (130)            

GOALS
North Melbourne: Brown 3, Thomas 2, Petrie 2, Swallow, Higgins, Cunnington
Hawthorn: Breust 4, Ceglar 3, Roughead 3, Gunston 3, Smith 2, Rioli, Lewis, Mitchell, Hill 

BEST 
North Melbourne: Goldstein, Harvey, Brown, Ziebell, Wright, Cunnington
Hawthorn: Gunston, Mitchell, Birchall, Smith, Hodge, Breust 

INJURIES 
North Melbourne: Jarrad Waite (hamstring) replaced in selected side by Aaron Black
Hawthorn: Paul Puopolo (corked leg) replaced in selected side by Brendan Whitecross, Josh Gibson (nose) 

SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Kayne Turner replaced Andrew Swallow in the fourth quarter
Hawthorn: Brendan Whitecross replaced Taylor Duryea in the fourth quarter

Reports: Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn) for striking Todd Goldstein in the first quarter.

Umpires: Nicholls, Hay, Jeffery

Official crowd: 38,077 at Etihad Stadium