Hawks Suffer Mid-year Blues

On the middle day of the calendar year it was very much a drizzly winter morning in Melbourne. Still a respectable crowd of just over 66,000 turned up.  The sun had come out for the opening bounce and the Hawthorn Hawks had the first clearance, then the Carlton Blues eventually winning the back and forth tennis match before getting a high snapped kick onto Curnow's chest. He goalled the set shot to get the scoring started.   

Jack Martin kicked the Blues second after getting on the end of a chain of handballs inside the Blues 50 and being in the clear, easily snapped the goal on his left foot. A rampant McKay ran inside 50 and centered to a leading Cuningham who goalled from 30 meters out for three unanswered goals.  The Hawks appeared to be asleep for much of the quarter and the return of just three behinds accurately reflected that at quarter time as the Blues took a 19 point lead into the first break.  Hawthorn's kicking efficiency was just 50% for the quarter and when they did go forward, the likes of Weitering thwarted their efforts.

Just as they did in the first quarter, the Blues had multiple options going inside 50 and again they hit Cuningham on a lead and he slotted the first goal of the second quarter. A turnover and quick ball movement saw the Blues with multiple options inside 50 and it was Owies this time was the best option short and he too marked and kicked a goal. Greene marked twice in the forward pocket in two minutes for the Hawks and missed both set shots for the Hawks. 

On the turnover the Blues caught the Hawthorn defenders out, Cerra marked 20 meters out straight in front, and added the Blues sixth goal. Curnow soon after added number seven. When Meek tried to grab it out of the ruck, Harry McKay tackled him, and snapped a goal from 30m out straight in front. The Blues were in total control at halftime, kicking 8.7 to the Hawks 0.5.  The last time Hawthorn was goalless at the half was Round 14, 2009. Most the current players were still at primary school. 

The Hawks came out hard in the second half but three minutes of endeavor still ended up with Carlton turning the ball over allowing Docherty to run hard inside 50 and goal. It took something very special from Chad Wingard to finally break the goal drought 5:40 into the third quarter when he dropped the contested mark in the forward pocket, roved the ball to keep it in, kicked the ball forward off the ground to Greene who handballed over the top to Lewis, resulting in an easy point-blank goal. 

It was finally the Hawks this time who turned it over and added a goal, with Lewis marking at defensive 50 and the Hawks quickly working the ball forward. Breust did some good work deep in the pocket to run around and snap the Hawks second goal. Greene kicked his first goal of the day after marking a chip kick from Nash and getting a 50-meter penalty when Newman contacted him after the mark to make it three in a row. 

Acres marked running back on the line and broke Hawthorn's run of scoring pressure to see the Blues back out to a 42 point lead. Breust kicked his second of the match after marking 40 meters out for the Hawks. But a clanger from Frost, giving a terrible handball to Mitchell saw a turnover that had Martin mark one out and kick another goal from 40 meters out. Fergus Green kept Hawthorn's faint hopes alive when he marked deep in the pocket and snapped around the body to kick his second goal for the match and leaving them 38 points down at three quarter time. 

Carlton held their nerve though and a long kick forward by McKay was pulled in on the goal line by Martin, who after the review confirmed it was a mark, quickly played on and snapped the goal. Carlton doubled up for the first time in the final quarter after Curnow squared up the kick to the same spot he goalled from earlier in the day, and he repeated the result. 

The Hawks once again appeared to have stopped as the Blues cleared the ball from the center bounce and hit Curnow at the top of the 50 on the full stretch lead.  He kicked his third goal for the afternoon. Mitch Lewis kicked his second goal for the Hawks when they turned the ball over and hit him on the lead just to show the Hawks still had some fight in them. The Hawks then kicked their second goal for the quarter when Connor MacDonald marked a quick entry to the forward 50 and made no mistake with the set shot. 

After a workmanlike day Jack Silvagni got forward to mark the McKay pass in the forward pocket and casually kicked a tough goal and bring up the 100 points for the Blues. Further goals to Fogarty and McKay in the dying minutes were icing on the cake for Blues fans as their team ran out 10 goal winners over the Hawks.  

  
HAWTHORN: 0.3 0.5  5.8   7.10  (52)
CARLTON:  3.4 8.7 11.10 17.10 (112)

GOALS 
Hawthorn: Lewis 2, Greene 2, Breust 2, Macdonald
Carlton:  Martin 3, C.Curnow 3, McKay 2, Cuningham 2, Cerra 2, Silvagni, Owies, Fogarty, Docherty, Acres

BEST 
Hawthorn: Day, Ward, Worpel, Greene, Morrison
Carlton:  Cripps, Cerra, Weitering, Acres, McKay, Docherty, Martin, Walsh

INJURIES 
Hawthorn: Lewis (ankle)
Carlton:  Nil

LATE CHANGES
Hawthorn: Nil
Carlton:  Tom De Koning (knee) replaced in selected side by Lewis Young

SUBSTITUTES 
Hawthorn: Finn Maginness (replaced Ned Reeves in third quarter)
Carlton:  George Hewett (replaced Charlie Curnow in fourth quarter)

Crowd: 66,337 at the MCG