On paper, Hawthorn's forward line is arguably the most imposing in the competition – talls Lance Franklin, Jarryd Roughead, David Hale and Jack Gunston are all proven multiple goalkickers. Luke Breust and Paul Puopolo are dangerous when the ball hits the ground.
And Cyril Rioli adds a wonderful dimension of his own, although he is in the early stages of recovery from a serious hamstring injury and won't play for at least another month.
But for all that, it is rare that the Hawthorn forwards have all clicked at the same time. Until Saturday night.
Roughead finished with four, Hale, Gunston and Franklin finished with three each. Breust kicked one.
"It was good to get that spread of goalkickers," Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson noted.
"That's what we've been working hard on across all the summer and the early rounds of this season to make sure the spread of goalkickers and inside 50 targets is there.
"And that was pretty good for us tonight and they were all able to get on the end of a few."
But that's only part of the story. Just as Geelong is winning rave reviews for the way it mixes and matches key position players Harry Taylor, James Podsiadly and Tom Lonergan at both ends of the ground depending on need and circumstance, the Hawks are also starting to show great flexibility and variety in how their forwards go about things.
Here is some of what happened on Saturday night against the Swans.
1. Roughead not only took some centre bounces as the ruckman (which he has for the past two years) but he also started some centre bounces as the ruck-rover. One Hawthorn goal in the third term came as a result of a deft handball after roving a centre bounce. His confident attack on the ball resembled that of the 2008 premiership year and he finished the match with four goals.
2. Gunston played on the wing as well as out of the forward line and kicked three goals. He might now be the best set shot for goal in the side.
3. Hale alternated with Max Bailey in the ruck and kicked three goals. Importantly, he took three great contested marks in the second half while playing inside the forward 50, feasting on an undersized Sydney forward line that sorely missed the injured Lewis Roberts-Thomson.
4. Breust kicked a goal, but even more impressive was his six goal assists. His work at ground level is verging on elite.
5. Franklin kicked three and missed a howler for what would have been his fourth but what is becoming apparent is that finally, and well overdue, the Hawks are no longer overly 'Franklin-conscious'. If Buddy doesn't get you, then Roughy or Hale or Gunston or Breust will.
"They're playing together which is a good sign," noted an admiring skipper Luke Hodge. "They more we can keep the same six up there, the more in-sync they'll be and the better it will be for us."
Ashley Browne is an AFL Media senior writer. @afl_hashbrowne
