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1. Lake ready to run
Although much of his pre-match address at the Hawthorn President’s luncheon revolved around a recent hole-in-one on the golf course, Hawks fullback Brian Lake confirmed he is nearing a return to football and would be testing his troublesome calf during a running session post-match in Launceston. Lake told guests he was hopeful of playing in Round 13, as long as he’s given the all-clear from club medical staff. Just how quickly he returns to the side remains to be seen, but the Norm Smith Medallist would be a welcome addition given the raft of defensive injuries currently plaguing the Hawks.

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2. Roughead on fire
Given the form he found after receiving treatment for a knock to his left leg during the first quarter, Hawks forward Jarryd Roughead might look for an excuse to have his ankles re-taped every week. As well as putting in a couple of turns on the ball, Roughead kicked eight goals and grabbed five contested marks for the day, giving Eric Mackenzie and Darren Glass a torrid time in front of 15,504 spectators at Aurora Stadium. While his goal kicking slowed slightly after the long break, Roughead proved his all-round class by providing a reliable target inside 50m, laying six tackes and turning supplier when the ball hit the ground by setting up another couple of majors for teammates.

3. Transition troubles for Eagles
At their best, the Eagles are sharp by foot and make the most of slick forward entries to their tall targets. On Saturday in Launceston, however, the visitors struggled for fluency in transition and were regularly bottled-up by Hawthorn’s well-organised defence. While they managed 27 forward 50m entries to half-time, there were just nine when West Coast kicked with the breeze during the third quarter as Hawthorn dropped defenders back and choked up the middle of Aurora Stadium. The result was shallow, ineffective forward entries for West Coast and plenty of turnovers resulting in goals as the hard-running Hawks split the game open.

4. Worth the wait for Lowden
Having been on the Hawthorn list since 2008, 23-year-old Luke Lowden finally made his AFL debut against the Eagles. While his big break will have been a dream come true, the prospect of squaring off against Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui would have been daunting in itself – let alone on debut. Despite being used as Naitanui’s stepladder on a couple of occasions, Lowden worked his way from contest to contest to finish with 15 hit-outs and three goals when resting forward to really ice the cake on a memorable day.

5. Happy homecoming for Bolton
Alastair Clarkson has been known to refer to ‘soldiers’ when talking about replacing injured players and it might just be the Hawks have a new ‘general’ to fill the gap left by Clarkson during his current health battle. Tasmanian born Brendon Bolton maintained his 100 per cent start as an AFL coach, this time masterminding a 44-point win over the Eagles, having started in rather less convincing fashion last week against the Giants. Bolton was in familiar territory at Aurora Stadium, returning to the scene of many triumphs from his playing days at North Launceston during the late-1990s – but perhaps none as important as his first ‘home’ win in the AFL.