Max Bailey - 5.5
After opponent Darren Jolly got on top in the first half, Bailey battled on manfully to remain a solid contributor.

Chance Bateman - 6
Worked into the game the more it wore on, and a great tackle on Harry O'Brien led to a Cyril Rioli goal late in the third quarter. Accumulated disposals (20) rather than being damaging with them.

Grant Birchall - 6.5
Went about his business with little fuss, but was as reliable as ever in the back half and was a great outlet from the Hawks' defence. A crunching tackle on Steele Sidebottom in the last quarter stopped the Magpie when he had an open look at the goals.

Shaun Burgoyne - 7.5
Terrific all around game from Burgoyne. He was desperate with his defensive pressure, and looked dangerous around stoppages and on the odd occasion when he went forward.

Lance Franklin - 6.5
The Coleman medallist overcame a knee injury and health concerns to take the field and finished with three goals. Had a great duel with Chris Tarrant, and his freakish left-foot grubber from the right forward pocket to put the Hawks in front late in the match was a highlight.

Josh Gibson - 7
Had one of the toughest tasks in the game in lining up on Travis Cloke. Gibson was outsized but battled hard, and still found time to free himself and spoil contests as the third man up. Can hold his head high.

Brent Guerra - 5
A mixed night that included a nice set shot goal in the third quarter but also the concession of a 50m penalty in the first term that led directly to a goal for Cloke. Did not have a big influence.

David Hale - 6
Was a solid second forward alongside Franklin but failed to impact on the scoreboard after missing a very gettable set shot early on. His back-up ruck work and mobility around the ground was important.

Luke Hodge - 7
Started up forward and had trouble making an impact, but began to influence the contest as soon as he moved into the middle. His pack mark and goal in the fourth quarter was the stuff of a great leader.

Jordan Lewis - 8
If the Hawks had another 21 like him, they would be playing next week. The stats (28 disposals, eight tackles, one goal) tell only half the story. Lewis was ferocious at the contest and did not deserve to be on the losing team.

Sam Mitchell - 7.5
The new All Australian was again a star for the Hawks, collecting 19 touches in the first half and 31 for the match. Like a few of his teammates, he seemed to tire in the final quarter, but that should not take away from a terrific effort.

Tom Murphy - 7
Took a number of Collingwood's forwards and was clearly one of the Hawks' best in the back half. Spent time on Andrew Krakouer, Leigh Brown and even Leon Davis when he moved forward, and did well on all of them.

Michael Osborne - 4
Quiet night for Osborne, as he amassed just 11 disposals as he struggled to make an impact. Worked hard defensively, but the Hawks needed more out of him with the ball.

Paul Puopolo - 6.5
Was given the defensive assignment on Davis in the first half, and although the All Australian got plenty of the ball, Puopolo ensured it was deep in the defensive 50 so he didn't hurt the Hawks. His goal on quarter-time gave Hawthorn the lead.

Cyril Rioli - 7
Went part of the way towards answering questions about his big-match performances with an excellent showing. His defensive pressure was invaluable, with a free kick for tackling Nick Maxwell leading directly to a Mitchell goal, and a smother on Scott Pendlebury leading to a goal of his own.

Brad Sewell - 7
One of the Hawks' hard men was again one of their best. Like Lewis, his numbers (25 touches) are only part of the story. Clean hands around the contest set up a number of Hawthorn forward thrusts.

Liam Shiels - 6
A solid rather than spectacular contribution from Shiels, who had some nice touches in the clinches in the first half and found some run after the break.

Ryan Schoenmakers - 6.5
A couple of poor decisions and skill execution errors blighted an otherwise excellent game. Did well in his one-on-one contests with Chris Dawes and spread the ball well in the back half, but some turnovers by hand cost his team badly.

Isaac Smith - 6.5
Acquitted himself well in the biggest game of his young career. Copped a big 'don't argue' from Dane Swan but held his own on the big stage. His 20 touches included some nice run through the middle.

Ben Stratton - 6
Just his third game back after missing most of the season with injury. Had to take Cloke on occasions when Gibson was trying to play as the spare man and did a solid job. Looked to be getting back to the pace of the AFL.

Matt Suckling - 2
Was only brought on as a substitute for Brendan Whitecross midway through the last quarter. Unfortunately his first involvement was giving away a 50m penalty for late contact in a marking contest.

Brendan Whitecross - 5.5
Steady most of the night before being subbed for Suckling in the final quarter. Whitecross played half forward and helped the Hawks to restrict the influence of the Collingwood half backs in the first three quarters.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.