There was a lot at stake for both teams on Saturday and the fierce contest the Hawks and Roos produced underlined that. The Hawks had the chance to stitch a top-two spot and a home qualifying final, while the Roos could keep their chances of a ninth-placed passage through to the finals alive. North threw everything they could at the Hawks in the first half, crunching them at the contests and slicing them apart around the ground with slick handball and precise passing. However, the ladder leader hit back with a powerhouse seven-goal third term that put them seven points up at the main break. The Hawks look set to cruise to a relatively easy win early in the final term, but the Roos kept at them, Hawthorn eventually prevailing by 14 points.
2. Hodge the impassable
North coach Brad Scott lamented after the game that Luke Hodge had thwarted the Roos' chances of toppling the Hawks for the second time this year. The Hawks skipper finished Saturday's match with 21 possessions and eight marks, but it was his ability to get free across half-back and intercept North Melbourne's forward 50 entries that was most telling, particularly in Hawthorn's match-winning third term. "We did a great job of picking him out for a period in the third quarter, but that's not to say he doesn't put himself in the right spot either," Scott said. "I thought his influence was really important."
3. Undermanned Roos defence ultimately overwhelmed
Taking on star Hawk forward duo Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead is daunting enough without doing it minus your best two key defenders. But that's the prospect North Melbourne faced going into Saturday's game without injured pair Scott Thompson and Nathan Grima. It meant the undersized Michael Firrito had to man Franklin and Luke Delaney, playing just his fourth game of the year, had to take on Coleman Medal leader Roughead. The North pair were by no means disgraced, battling manfully all day. However, in the end, Franklin and Roughead both took the points, finishing with five and four goals respectively.
4. Goldy brings up his ton in style
Todd Goldstein was playing his 100th AFL game against the Hawks on Saturday, and the big Roo brought up the milestone in style. Once again shouldering North's ruck load almost singlehandedly, Goldstein finished the game with 19 possessions, took five marks and had 24 hitouts. The 25-year-old also kicked an equal season-high two goals, both of them coming in the second quarter. The first came after he bravely stood in front of a converging pack and marked strongly 40m out from goal.
5. Broadband set to come to Etihad
The federal election came to Etihad Stadium on Saturday as Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced footy fans would be able to enjoy "superfast" internet at the Docklands venue from next year's finals series. Mr Albanese announced that, if re-elected, Labor would fast-track the rollout of the national broadband network to Etihad Stadium as a pilot project that will allow footy fans to access wi-fi internet via mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Head of AFL Media Peter Campbell welcomed the initiative: "The AFL is constantly looking at enhancing the game-day experience for the tens of thousands of fans who attend our games. There is an increasing hunger amongst fans for reliable access to information and vision on mobile devices and we welcome any measure that helps us achieve this."
