AURORA Stadium is a happy hunting ground for Hawthorn. Indeed, as coach Alastair Clarkson likes to call it, it is Hawthorn's "home deck".

But home deck has brought some complications for the Hawks in recent visits. During the 116-point laugher over a depleted Fremantle in round 21 last year, the Hawks lost both Grant Birchall and Luke Hodge to injury. Birchall didn't play again last season, while Hodge carried his injury into the elimination final against Fremantle a fortnight later and was barely a factor as Fremantle won comfortably.

Saturday's win over Gold Coast was similarly routine. The final margin was 71 points and for most of the game, the Hawks didn't get out of second gear. But once again, Fortress Aurora cast a shadow over an otherwise straightforward win by the home team, this time the report of Hawk superstar Lance Franklin.

It was a middling day for Franklin even before the report. As an Adelaide player Nathan Bock was always one of his more troublesome opponents, and nothing changed now that Bock is a member of the Suns. He was holding a slight edge in the match-up when Franklin delivered the glancing blow to Maverick Weller, an episode that saw Franklin booked for the eighth time in his career.

So the rest of the contest, as the Hawks temporarily returned to third on the ladder (Carlton will leapfrog the Hawks with a win over the Sydney Swans on Sunday) was overshadowed by the Franklin report as amateur match review panel members at the ground and around Australia debated whether the contact was low or medium impact, reckless or negligent. The deliberations by the real match review panel on Monday will determine whether Franklin has a case to answer and will be available for a huge fortnight for the Hawks that features marquee MCG match-ups against Essendon and Collingwood.

For his part, Franklin didn't seem unduly concerned, telling Network 10's Kelli Underwood in a post-match interview on the ground, "There was nothing in it, really, so we'll see what happens."

Clarkson, preferred instead to dwell on other events, only saying of Franklin: " We'll just have to wait and see. It's with the tribunal. We'll just see what the outcome of the tribunal is throughout the week."

The Hawks were unsettled coming into the match, with four forced changes at selection on Thursday to the side that lost to Geelong by five points last Saturday night, and then a fifth before the game when key defender Ryan Schoenmakers succumbed to a foot injury.  

"You have to think your way through how you pick the side then balance it over the course of the week and then game day. But we can't afford to be too conservative with blokes any more because we haven't got too many left," Clarkson told Network Ten.

Clarkson, who was coaching his 150th game for the Hawks and is now the club's third longest-serving coach (behind John Kennedy and Allan Jeans) was pleased just to get through the match, the Franklin report aside.

"To double their score and get some percentage was pleasing and our application over the four quarters was sound," Clarkson said.

Importantly for the Hawks, they found other avenues to goal. Small forwards Shane Savage and Luke Breust each kicked four goals, while Isaac Smith added two.

"It was important to show that we're not a one-man band down there," Clarkson said.

"Both Bruest and Savage have shown even before today that they can kick goals. To get four in a game of footy just elevates the standard and they now know they are capable of playing at AFL standard.

"We were pleased with their contribution and Isaac Smith chipped in with two goals as well, so to get 10 goals from your midfield is really important for us."