The Hawks won 15.9 (99) to 12.6 (78) and all but shut the door on the Demons’ slim hopes of making the top eight for the first time since 2006.
The win was the Hawks’ first since round 16, and came after their flat performance against the Sydney Swans last week led to public criticism of both the coach and players from club president Jeff Kennett.
Coach Alastair Clarkson said it was a special result considering what it came on the back of.
“We had our backs to the wall pretty firmly because our performances on the road the past two weeks have been dreadful,” he said.
“It was really important as a footy club we took stock of that. We understood our desperation at the contest and the opposition just wasn’t anywhere the level we pride ourselves on.
“Once we were able to be more consistent in the application of that area, it’s amazing how you win more games of footy.”
It wasn’t until the final term Hawthorn broke free of the tenacious Demons after an arm-wrestle where the lead changed four times in the third term alone.
Brad Sewell was the Hawks’ best with 27 touches and six clearances, while Lance Franklin was important in the wet conditions with 22 possessions - 13 contested.
After lagging in the contested count early in the first quarter, Sewell got the Hawks moving to break even by the first change.
The scores were level at quarter time after the Demons led by 12 points halfway through the term, but the Hawks were on top in clearances despite limited input from Luke Hodge - who was being quelled admirably by Cameron Bruce - and Sam Mitchell at the stoppages.
In the second term, the Demons regained Liam Jurrah after it looked like the goal sneak’s day was done owing to a broken finger, but lost Aaron Davey to a suspected fractured fibula.
The rain arrived again and the Hawks threatened to blow the game apart after Xavier Ellis, Carl Peterson and Campbell Brown were allowed to mark on the lead.
But the Dees fought back with the Hawks failing to translate their forward dominance to scoreboard pressure.
Late goals to Jurrah and Bruce - and a miss to Michael Osborne - left the halftime difference at three points Hawthorn’s way.
The lead bounced around in the third, courtesy of the Dees’ increased pressure and the Hawks’ continuing tenacity at clearances.
Franklin kicked goal of the day at the 19-minute mark - a typical left-foot snap that soared higher than the goal posts - and Ellis backed it up three minutes later after Colin Garland made a costly error in defensive 50.
It was a 10-point lead to Hawthorn at the final change and, as the clouds gathered again, Hodge left the field for the second time with a bloodied nose and Franklin briefly with an ankle.
That didn’t stop Hodge kicking the first goal of the quarter with strapping tape blanketing his face, before Brad Green gave the Dees a glimmer of hope with the second.
However, missed opportunities to Clint Bartram and Jack Watts were costly when Shaun Burgoyne and Hodge goaled again and got the Hawks out to an unbeatable margin.
Melbourne coach Dean Bailey said both he and the players were disappointed they failed to hang onto the contest for the full four quarters.
“We’ve improved from round one ... that was a really ordinary game, so you’d like to think come by where we are now we would have to have improved,” he said.
“We’ve certainly improved, but to still not be close enough for long enough is probably the disappointing thing out of the game.
“When we were in front we just needed to probably work a bit harder to control it a bit which we were unable to do. Hence the result we got.”
Hawthorn 4.1 8.4 12.7 15.9 (99)
Melbourne 4.1 8.1 11.3 12.6 (78)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Franklin 3, Ellis 3, Peterson 2, Roughead 2, Hodge 2, Brown, Hooper, Burgoyne
Melbourne: Jurrah 2, Jamar 2, Dunn, Green, Trengove, Sylvia, Wonaeamirri, Bruce, Watts, Green
BEST
Hawthorn: Sewell, Franklin, Burgoyne, Stratton, Hodge, Birchall, Ellis, Mitchell
Melbourne: Bruce, Jamar, Sylvia, McDonald, Frawley, McKenzie, Jones
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Hodge (nose)
Melbourne: Davey (ankle), Jurrah (finger)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Rosebury, Findlay, McInerney
Official crowd: 48,211 at the MCG
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
