In a Tweet

The Rundown

With just one win to their name after the opening six rounds of the season, the Hawks were desperate to get back on the winners list in this Round 7 clash.

Former Hawk Jordan Lewis faced his old club for the first time and performed admirably for the Demons, picking up 31 possessions and two goals.

Throughout the game, the Hawks showed signs of being back to their familiar best: staunch in defence, high skill level, high-scoring game style.

They got as far as 35 points ahead in the early parts of the third quarter, but the new-look Melbourne side did not lay down.

The Hawks led by the slightest of margins at the final change and were forced to battle out a combative final term to finally claim a courageous three-point victory at the final siren.

The Star

With Melbourne continuing to battle the loss of injured ruckman Max Gawn, Ben McEvoy had an opportunity to truly assert himself on this game.

And assert himself he did, McEvoy was the difference in the game, recording a career-high 53 hit-outs to go with his 12 possessions, four marks and two goals.

The Moment

With 13 seconds remaining in the game, the ball was in Christian Salem’s hands and about to be booted deep inside the Demons’ forward 50.

The margin was three points and a Melbourne mark would likely mean a devastating loss for the Hawks.

The ball was kicked 30 metres from the Demons’ goal, almost directly in front.

A pack emerged but, from the outskirts of the TV camera view emerged a desperate Jarryd Roughead charging for that pack.

He arrived just on time, swinging a wild fist at the ball and clobbering it away as it ran towards the boundary line and the seconds ticked down to zero.

The Coach

"What was pleasing today was that we were challenged significantly in the third quarter and we found a way to regroup and get ourselves a pretty important win”.

  • Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson

 

MELBOURNE   1.1    4.2    11.6  14.7 (91)
HAWTHORN    5.4    8.7    11.7  14.10 (94)

GOALS

Melbourne: Garlett 3, Hogan 3, Hunt 2, Lewis 2, Pedersen, Viney, Jones, Watts
Hawthorn: Roughead 4, McEvoy 2, Gunston 2, O'Brien 2, Breust, Langford, Burgoyne, Smith

BEST

Melbourne: Viney, Lewis, Frost, Oliver, Jones, Hibberd, Hogan
Hawthorn: McEvoy, Burgoyne, Roughead, Mitchell, Langford, O'Brien, Hardwick,

INJURIES

Melbourne: Hunt (left shoulder)
Hawthorn: Jaeger O'Meara (knee soreness) replaced in selected side by Will Langford, Birchall (right knee)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Kamolins, Ryan, Jeffery

Official crowd: 38,693 at the MCG