Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell breaks through a tackle from West Coast's Shannon Hurn on Saturday night
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HAWTHORN'S top-four aspirations have been dealt a significant blow with a young West Coast side holding firm to win by 20 points in wintry conditions at Subiaco Oval on Saturday night.
Two goals in five minutes to Eagles draftee Nic Naitanui turned a four-point deficit to an eight-point lead in the middle stages of the final term and, after Jarryd Roughead's snap for a sixth major was called to have touched the post, the home side protected its lead to win 16.11 (107) to 13.9 (87).
With just over six minutes to play in an absorbing, physical clash, Naitanui cut off a handball 60m from goal, scooped up a poor bounce with Thomas Murphy in pursuit and dribbled through a third.
Skipper Sam Mitchell was easily the Hawks' best player with 40 possessions and 13 clearances, though he got some solid support from Brad Sewell (32), Luke Hodge (31) and Chance Bateman (29).
Roughead and Lance Franklin kicked nine goals between them to always keep their side in the contest.
Matt Priddis (35 possessions), Quinten Lynch (26 possessions, 23 hit-outs) and Brad Ebert (24) shone for the Eagles.
The sides went goal-for-goal for most of the first quarter and though it only took Mark LeCras (four goals) seven minutes to start causing headaches for Hawthorn's defence, the visitor's forays with the wind in its back were less emphatic but more effective.
LeCras' two goals came from strong marks inside 50 while down the other end, Mitchell converted from point-blank range after an interchange infringement and Franklin walked in two of his own.
Franklin had otherwise been well-held by West Coast captain Darren Glass, aided by up two teammates in the aerial contests, but the Hawks led by 12 points at the first change.
Between Jordan Lewis, Rick Ladson and Sewell, Daniel Kerr was being tagged out of the game but West Coast's other midfielders benefitted from the ruck ascendancy of Lynch and Naitanui in Dean Cox's absence through injury.
The Eagles started to match the Hawks' hardness at the contests and momentum shifted.
Lewis, Brent Guerra and Xavier Ellis were all treated on the sidelines after physical challenges while Hawthorn's backline was sometimes caught thinly-spread.
Missing Stephen Gilham, who was named to return for his second game of the season, and Stuart Dew, another late omission, the Hawks also had the worsening conditions to deal with in the second term.
Roughead had pushed Hawthorn 18 points clear with a minute played but the Eagles slammed on five goals without reply.
Tyson Stenglein was proving an interesting target and kicked the fifth of a run that started with Andrew Embley and included LeCras' third.
Roughead got one back for the Hawks and four more shots on goal for West Coast to close the quarter only produced one goal – to LeCras.
The Eagles were up by 14 and the rain and wind pulled the conditions from manageable to slippery in a third quarter that again started with a Hawthorn strike.
It came from Campbell Brown and though West Coast tried to reply, the Hawks defenders dug in.
A gang-tackle from Matt Spangher and David Wirrpanda ended Mark Williams' evening with a knee injury but for each of West Coast's slewed kicks, Hawthorn was able to convert.
The crowd continued to voice its disapproval of some umpiring decisions but should have rued the Eagles' errors as Roughead and Franklin moved to four goals each.
With just three points the difference at the last change, West Coast sensed its fourth win of the season and immediately reclaimed the lead through Wirrpanda.
The rainfall was horizontal when in a team-lifting reply to Roughead's fifth, Naitanui cut off a scrappy Hawthorn clearance, pushed through Lewis and slammed through a goal on his left boot.
A Michael Osborne goal in time-on gave the Hawks a sniff as the quarter stretched to 35 minutes, but they couldn't find any more.
West Coast 2.3 8.6 10.9 16.11 (107)
Hawthorn 4.3 6.4 11.6 13.9 (87)
GOALS
West Coast: LeCras 4, Naitanui 3, Kennedy 2, Brown, Ebert, Embley, Kerr, McKinley, Stenglein, Wirrpanda
Hawthorn: Roughead 5, Franklin 4, Osborne 2, Brown, Mitchell
BEST
West Coast: Priddis, Lynch, Ebert, LeCras, Masten, S. Selwood, Wirrpanda
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Sewell, Bateman, Roughead, Hodge
INJURIES
West Coast: Nil
Hawthorn: Dew (quad) replaced in selected side by Schoenmakers, Gilham (illness) replaced in selected side by Stokes, Williams (knee), Guerra (corked thigh), Lewis (hip), Ellis (corked thigh)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Hendrie, Ryan, Pannell
Official crowd: 31,441 at Subiaco Oval
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
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