The Bombers were in the contest until halftime before the Hawks kicked away, with Lance 'Buddy' Franklin contributing nine goals, and Luke Hodge three, to the 19.16 (130) to 12.7 (79) victory.
Coming off their first loss and a dramatic week off-field, when coach Alastair Clarkson and Franklin found themselves the subjects of some negative press, the Hawks were out to prove something.
They did just that, booting 10 goals to Essendon's four after half time to turn a narrow lead into a blow-out win, with Chance Bateman and Michael Osborne joining Franklin and Hodge among the best.
The return of Hodge was nothing less than spectacular, with the midfielder picking up 22 possessions in his first game since a hamstring injury sidelined him in round seven.
Initially picked up by Mark McVeigh and opposed to Brent Stanton in the second, Hodge emphasised how influential he can be with strong drive from the middle and a presence up forward.
Essendon's Andrew Welsh headed for Hawthorn skipper Sam Mitchell at the first bounce, and applied a hard tag that would restrict the Hawk to just two possessions in the first quarter.
Wherever Mitchell went, Welsh followed, and it was a duel that had everything including an off-the-ball incident in the second term that saw the Hawks' captain grounded and his teammates remonstrating with Welsh.
The match-up ended with 13 possessions apiece to both players, but that wasn't where the engaging one-on-one contests ended.
Paddy Ryder was given the job on Franklin, with the Hawks' star out-running, out-marking and out-playing Ryder in a sometimes spiteful clash..
Young Bomber Tom Bellchambers made his debut after coming in for Jason Laycock and ended with four disposals, while Nathan Lovett-Murray and McVeigh joined Fletcher in their side's best.
The Hawks looked flat early and it was the Bombers that got the better start, holding the lead for the majority of the first quarter before Franklin goaled and gave his side a lead they would never surrender.
Essendon trailed by just a goal at the first change and did well to answer Hawthorn throughout the second term. Adam McPhee's after-the-siren major put the Bombers just seven points adrift with a half to go.
But from there the contest ended. Hawthorn kicked six goals to two in the third quarter to put the match beyond Essendon's reach.
Jarryd Roughead, who had been curtailed by Fletcher for the first half, booted two when the Bombers' veteran was minding Franklin, who added a brace to his tally in the match-defining quarter. Tim Boyle and Osborne contributed the other goals for the term.
Osborne's, which came at the 22 -minute mark, was reminiscent of Port Adelaide's Daniel Motlop's dribbling left-foot special from the boundary from last weekend.
In the fourth, Essendon kicked two goals to Hawthorn's four, but the attention was all on 'Buddy' as he attempted to break his previous best of nine goals, achieved against Essendon in round six last year.
Essendon now hosts West Coast next Friday night at Telstra Dome, while Hawthorn will travel to Adelaide to meet the Crows at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night.
Essendon 3.3 8.4 10.7 12.7 (79)
Hawthorn 4.3 9.5 15.11 19.16 (130)
GOALS
Essendon: Lucas 4, Lloyd 2, Winderlich 2, McPhee, Monfries, Pears, Reimers
Hawthorn: Franklin 9, Hodge 3, Roughead 3, Clarke, Boyle, Osborne, Young
BEST
Essendon: Lovett-Murray, McVeigh, Fletcher, Houli, Welsh, Stanton, Winderlich
Hawthorn: Franklin, Hodge, Bateman, Osborne, Lewis, Campbell, Clarke
INJURIES
Essendon: Laycock (ankle) replaced in selected side by Bellchambers, Nash (concussion)
Hawthorn: Bateman (corked thigh), Taylor (gashed knee)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: McBurney, Avon, Mollison
Official crowd: 46,377 at Telstra Dome
The views in this story are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the AFL or the clubs
