THE BATTLE of Hawthorn and Adelaide shaped up to be a game where we would learn a lot about where these two sides are at in the race for finals.

Instead, we got a hard-fought, inaccurate slog, and have left with more questions than answers.

HAWKS v CROWS Full match coverage and stats

Jai Newcombe had been well shut out of the game by Sam Berry, but you only need one moment to turn a game, and he proved to be the match-winner, pouncing on the loose footy in the final few minutes to secure Hawthorn a three-point victory, 6.11 (47) to 5.14 (44).

Thirteen consecutive behinds were kicked between the two teams across the third and fourth terms, as a number of players failed to take an opportunity to apply scoreboard pressure, and the Crows will be devastated to have let the win slip, kicking 1.7 in the second half.

Hawthorn had finally seized the lead for the first time all match when Connor Macdonald broke the drought with his second major, coming with seven minutes left on the clock.

The floodgates didn't fully open, but they sprang a few leaks – Izak Rankine looked like he'd pinched back the lead, before Newcombe locked away the win.

At the start of the game, the "feels like" in Launceston was a chilly 3.6 degrees (although Melbourne wasn't much warmer at 5.6), rendering it a quasi-wet weather game, with plenty of dew and frost on the grass.

The "feels like" margin at the game at quarter-time was closer to 30 points, rather than the actual 15, such was the dominance and pressure of Adelaide, recording 18 inside 50s to nine in the opening stanza.

It took until the six-minute mark of the second term for Hawthorn to record its first major, via a free kick to Jack Gunston, the Hawks' forward line having struggled to hold its structure in the first term as the Crows feasted.

Berry had held Newcombe to just five touches in the first half (and 15 for the game), as Hawthorn struggled to get its hands on the ball out of the middle, trailing in the clearance count by seven and contested possession by 20 at the main break.

Nick Watson was sent to the middle to kick off the second half, with Sam Mitchell also pulling the trigger on his substitute, bringing in birthday boy Changkouth Jiath for Henry Hustwaite (four touches). The changes worked, kicking a goal within 14 seconds from a centre-bounce clearance.

In a complete 180 from the first half, Hawthorn completely dried up the scoring of Adelaide in the third term, but like the Crows before them, couldn't take advantage of their own dominance.

Jordan Dawson ran hard all night for Adelaide, while Josh Weddle and Jarman Impey provided plenty of bounce out of defence for the Hawks.

My kingdom for a goal
It was agonising watching as both sides peppered the goal to no avail. The high pressure across the field didn't help matters, as kick-mark controlled play was hard to come by, and set shots were few and far between. Most efforts came from scrambled play or ambitious running shots, with the slippery footy hard to handle. There was just six marks inside 50 for the game.

Worrell corrals the Wizard
A perfectly executed run-down tackle is one of the highlights of the game of football, and the sight of 195cm Adelaide key back Josh Worrell not just chasing after the 170cm Hawthorn small forward Nick Watson, but running him down, brought the Crows fans to life. "The Wizard" had time for two bounces before Worrell caught up to him, the defender having to also work his way around a shepherd in the process.

Two-half Chol
The disparity between the best and worst of Mabior Chol can have Hawthorn fans tearing their hair out, and he produced both against Adelaide. He was well and truly out-manoeuvred in the first half by Jordon Butts, and missed a very gettable set shot, but showed a sign of life just before half-time when he ran down Max Michalanney to force a turnover. His aerial game soon followed in the third term, and he set up Newcombe for the match-winner, before intercepting a crucial kick as the Crows tried to exit 50 one last time.

HAWTHORN    0.2    2.4    4.7     6.11 (47)
ADELAIDE       2.3    4.7    4.11   5.14 (44)

GOALS
Hawthorn: Gunston 2, Macdonald 2, Chol, Newcombe
Adelaide: Keays 2, Curtain, Cumming, Rankine

BEST
Hawthorn: Weddle, Impey, Gunston, Moore, Meek
Adelaide: Dawson, Soligo, Curtain, Keays, Worrell

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
Adelaide: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: Changkuoth Jiath (replaced Henry Hustwaite at half-time)
Adelaide: Brodie Smith (replaced Luke Pedlar in the third quarter)

Crowd: TBC at UTAS Stadium, Launceston