HAWTHORN has finished with a wet sail to overcome St Kilda by 35 points in a match where both teams have suffered the yips in front of goal.
The Hawks never trailed on Saturday night in Launceston but were made to work for a 13.11 (89) to 7.12 (54) victory.
HAWKS LEAVE IT LATE: Full match coverage and stats
Isaac Smith kicked four goals and was backed up by Jack Gunston, who booted three including a crucial major early in the final term.
Hawthorn piled on four-straight goals to run away with the match after having its lead cut to just a point early in the third quarter.
St Kilda was left to rue a host of missed set shots.
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Hawthorn wasn't much better throughout but brought it together late.
Ball-magnet Tom Mitchell was again in the thick of the action with 45 disposals - 16 higher than his next-best teammate Ricky Henderson (29).
Mitchell had a hefty 27 possessions by half-time.
"The scoreboard perhaps doesn't reflect the toughness of that game," Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said.
"It was a tough night for anyone to get the footy and use it well.
"We were pleased that we won the grind. We were just probably tougher and harder for a little bit longer than the Saints were."
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Shaun Burgoyne made a solid return for Hawthorn with 16 touches and five marks.
St Kilda was sluggish out of the blocks, kicking 0.4 for the opening term, as Hawthorn opened up a 19-point lead at quarter-time.
Tim Membrey looked set to break St Kilda's duck early in the second term but had the miss of the season, somehow finding the post at point-blank range while running into an open goal.
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He made up for it, though, booting his side's first minutes later.
The Saints dragged themselves back into the contest with three-straight goals to trail 33-25 at the main break.
Paddy McCartin kicked the first of the third term as the match tightened.
But back-to-back goals to Gunston and a running effort from Luke Breust pushed Hawthorn out to 51-40 heading into the final term.
From there, it was one-way traffic.
Four-consecutive goals early in the fourth quarter broke the back of St Kilda, who has recorded just one win from six rounds.
"They were just too good when it mattered most," St Kilda coach Alan Richardson said.
"When it was up for grabs, we were nowhere near as clean under pressure or as committed to support each other at the contest as Hawthorn.
"That's the part that's hard to swallow."
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MEDICAL ROOM
Hawthorn: The Hawks appear to have come through their win relatively unscathed, although Ben McEvoy spent much of the final quarter on the bench.
St Kilda: Ruckman Tom Hickey hurt himself while tackling Tom Mitchell at the start of the second quarter, before hitting the ground in a marking contest 10 minutes later, but played out the game.
NEXT UP
Hawthorn will face off against arch-rival Essendon at the MCG on Saturday, while St Kilda will be looking for its second win of the season when it tackles Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
HAWTHORN 3.7 4.9 7.9 13.11 (89)
ST KILDA 0.4 3.7 5.10 7.12 (54)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Smith 4, Breust, Gunston 3, Howe, Impey, Morrison
St Kilda: Billings, Hickey, Long, McCartin, Membrey, Sinclair, Steele
BEST
Hawthorn: Smith, Mitchell, McEvoy, Morrison, Howe, Gunston, Breust
St Kilda: Steven, Webster, Savage, Carlisle
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
St Kilda: Nil
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Donlon, Haussen, Meredith
Official crowd: 15,741 at the University of Tasmania Stadium
