Since winning their first match of the season against Melbourne, the Hawks’ form has dropped away markedly, losing three in succession and making a mockery of pre-season expectations that had many tipping them for a top-four finish this year.
The Hawks were missing John Barker, Jonathan Hay, Kris Barlow, Campbell Brown and late withdrawal Mark Graham from their best 22, but their unavailability did not excuse a performance that lacked vigour and intelligent use of the ball.
With Nick Holland struggling, the Hawks badly fell down across half-forward, leaving spearhead Nathan Thompson in the cold at full-forward for much of the afternoon.
Hawthorn coach Peter Schwab blamed the loss on his side’s poor finish to the third quarter and a struggling midfield.
“They were just a bit better than us in certain areas. In a two-goal game, probably the four-goal margin at three-quarter-time was disappointing after we’d leveled it up. That was the difference in the end,” Schwab concluded.
“We’re struggling in the midfield a bit. We’ve been beaten there the last three games and when you get beaten in the midfield you don’t win.”
The veteran trio of Scott West, Rohan Smith and Brad Johnson led the Bulldogs with Nathan Eagleton and unfashionable defenders Scott Bassett and Brian Harris heading a strong support cast.
Both sides used heavy flooding tactics throughout the afternoon – restricting the contest from becoming a decent spectacle – but it was the Bulldogs midfield that worked the hardest and won more of the ball.
After trailing by 13-points at half-time, Hawthorn burst out of the blocks in the third term, with quick goals to Holland and Nathan Lonie.
A goal to Luke Darcy from a free gave the Dogs some breathing space, before Sam Mitchell leveled the scores for the Hawks after capitalising on a Peter Street error.
Ten minutes passed before both teams traded goals, but after Peter Everitt kicked truly for the Hawks, the Bulldogs rammed home four goals in the final five minutes of the quarter, to ensure that a 26-point buffer at the last change would be enough to assure them of victory.
There was none more important than Jade Rawlings’ first goal for the match against his old side.
Woefully inaccurate early, Rawlings finally slotted one home from arguably his most difficult shot of the day – 45 metres out, 10 metres inside the boundary. He had previously missed his first five shots.
Yet another Rawlings’ miss opened proceedings in the final quarter, but he made a mends minutes later after taking a great pack mark as the third man in line, to kick his second six-pointer for the day.
The Hawks threatened briefly with successive goals to Richard Vandenberg and Joel Smith – two of their side’s better contributors on a disappointing day – but two last quarter goals to unlikely foil Ben Harrison made the game safe for the Western Bulldogs.
Hawthorn: 3.5, 5.8, 9.9, 14.13 (97)
Western Bulldogs: 2.6, 7.9, 13.11, 16.13 (109)
GOALS: Hawthorn: Williams, Lonie, Picioane, Thompson 2, Everitt, Holland, Mitchell, J.Smith, Vandenberg, Lekkas 1
Bulldogs: Harrison 3, Johnson, Darcy, Rawlings 2, Hahn, Eagleton, Bassett, Power, Cooney, Bowden, Robbins 1
BEST: Hawthorn: Smith, Vandenberg, Crawford, Lonie, Jacobs, Mitchell
Bulldogs: West, Eagleton, Smith, Johnson, Harris, Bassett, Bowden, Murphy
INJURIES: Hawthorn: Jacobs (hamstring)
CHANGES: Hawthorn: Graham (back spasms) replaced by Campbell in selected side
REPORTS: None
UMPIRES: Davis, Allen, McInerney
CROWD: 24,959 at the MCG
