In his seven previous appearances against West Coast Cyril Rioli managed just four goals and four behinds. Today he kicked his fourth goal of the match just 19 seconds into the second half. It was the seventh time Rioli has kicked four goals or more in a match. Hawthorn has lost just two of those seven.
2. Momentum shifts
This was not so much a goal-for-goal arm wrestle but rather a game of momentum swings where both teams exchanged periods of dominance. Hawthorn kicked six consecutive goals between the 12-minute mark of the first term and the two-minute mark of the second. Both teams had four-goal runs either side of half-time. Hawthorn managed another four-goal surge in the last quarter.
3. Six-day break v 15-day break
Much was made about Hawthorn’s six-day turnaround after a tough round-one loss on Easter Monday, compared to West Coast’s 15-day break following their derby loss. As expected West Coast started sluggishly and Hawthorn skipped out to a 38-point lead in the second term. Fatigue seemed to set in for the Hawks in the 30-degree heat with West Coast kicking six of the last eight goals before three-quarter time. But Hawthorn found something extra in the last quarter to kick eight goals to two for an emphatic win.
4. Hodge heroics
There were major concerns over Luke Hodge’s fitness given his limited pre-season following knee surgery. Having played just one competitive match for Box Hill last week the Hawthorn captain returned to marshal the troops and lead from the front. He had 25 disposals and showed exceptional poise patrolling across half-back.
5. Eagle talls beaten
On the surface it appeared as if West Coast’s power forwards had influential afternoons, with Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling kicking eight goals between them. But they came from just eight scoring shots. The pair was held to a combined 19 possessions and eight marks by Josh Gibson and Ryan Schoenmakers. Dean Cox also failed to kick a goal and was well matched by Max Bailey in the ruck.
