HAWTHORN has won its first game at its new home in Dingley, but it came at a cost with star midfielder Emily Bates suffering what appears to be a serious knee injury.

The Hawks put their foot on the gas in the third term, piling on five goals to zero to lay the platform for an important 11-point victory.

HAWKS v BULLDOGS Full match coverage and stats

But the win was soured with the injury to captain Bates, who clutched at her knee late in the third quarter after her leg got stuck under her in a tackle. 

Irish forward Aine McDonagh was the star of the show, booting a career-high four goals and leading the way in the 6.5 (41) to 4.6 (30) win. 

McDonagh, who has jumped ahead of the rest of the competition in the leading goalkicker race, was a force to be reckoned with in the front half, providing a target in the air while causing plenty of headaches at ground level. 

McDonagh has now booted three or more goals in every game she’s played this season and is well and truly on her way towards another All-Australian blazer. 

Hawthorn ruck Lucy Wales continued her dominant start to the 2026 season with 22 disposals, causing Bulldogs ruck Alice Edmonds some issues around the ground, while midfield maestro Eliza West was as busy as always with a team-high 24 touches.

West's efforts as vice-captain were crucial in the absence of Bates, leading the way in the centre of the ground and around the coalface.

50-gamer Tamara Smith was at her reliable best in defence with 20 touches, while Jasmine Fleming provided plenty of speed around the contest with 19 disposals. 

Winger Mikayla Williamson has taken her game to another level this year, adding more defensive pressure to her hard-running game, while former Sun Jac Dupuy used her height to great effect, clunking a match-high 10 marks from 16 disposals. 

It takes Hawthorn’s win-loss record to 3-2 for the season ahead of a testing run of fixtures which includes North Melbourne, Geelong, Carlton and Brisbane. 

For the Bulldogs, captain Isabelle Pritchard tried valiantly all afternoon with a game-high 31 disposals, while Elisabeth Georgiostathis was also solid with 19 touches.

Hawthorn coach Daniel Webster said that Bates will have scans on her knee in the coming days, but praised his side for their ability to stay focussed on the task at hand.

"We're not sure yet (how serious it is), but she'll get scans in the next few days and we'll go from there," Webster said.

"It's incredibly difficult. I've seen numerous times in the W where this has really impacted groups. But credit to our players, they kept their minds on the job, as challenging as that was. They were able to focus, dig deep and finish the game off.

"We'll get around 'Batesy' once we work out what's going on with it and support her the best we can."

In addition to Bates, young midfielder Laura Stone will miss next week with concussion, while Daisy Flockart will also be assessed after a knock to the chest.

It means Hawthorn's on-ball brigade will have a very different look next week against the Kangaroos.

"We'll have to look around, we've been playing different players through and trying to build some versatility in our side… we're confident in the players we'll have in there," Webster said.

"It'll be a good challenge next week with who we're playing… we'll probably have some sort of different look in there with different players and that's okay, we'll keep getting to work."

STAR RUCK CONTINUES ALL-AUSTRALIAN WORTHY CAMPAIGN
Lucy Wales is one of Hawthorn’s most important players right now and showed exactly why with a very impressive performance. While Bulldogs ruck Alice Edmonds competed well in the hitouts count, Wales dominated around the ground, giving Hawthorn a strong aerial presence when exiting defensive 50. Wales was equal-third in the coaches’ votes coming into the clash, having polled 28 out of a possible 40 across the first month of the season and will likely feature again after yet another dominant outing. It’s remarkable to think she’s still only 23 years of age. 

CONCERNS FOR GUN MIDFIELDER
The Hawks will sweat on scans for their captain Bates, who was stretchered off in the third term after her leg was caught under her in a tackle. Every single member of the Hawthorn playing group went over to Bates as she was stretchered off in what were emotional scenes at the Kennedy Community Centre. The Hawks will also be without midfielder Laura Stone for the round six clash against North Melbourne after the youngster went down with concussion early in the match. With Bates and Stone sidelined, Hawthorn coach Daniel Webster might need to get creative with his on-ball mix next week.

Up next
The Hawks head up to Cairns for the first time in 2026 to take on AFLW powerhouse North Melbourne on Friday night, while the Bulldogs travel to Cockburn ARC Oval to play Fremantle on Saturday afternoon.

HAWTHORN                   1.1   1.3   6.4   6.5 (41)
WESTERN BULLDOGS    2.0   3.2   3.2   4.6 (30)

GOALS
Hawthorn: McDonagh 4, Dupuy, Martin
Western Bulldogs: McKee, Fitzgerald, Grigg, Hartwig

BEST
Hawthorn: McDonagh, Wales, West, Dupuy, Fleming, Smith, Williamson
Western Bulldogs: Pritchard, Fitzgerald, Georgiostathis, Wilcox

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Stone (concussion), Bates (knee)
Western Bulldogs: Nil

Crowd: 2363 at Kennedy Community Centre