In many ways it was a tale of two captains on Friday night.

Joel Selwood and Luke Hodge played vastly different hands at the MCG, but both threatened to pull their side over the line in an entertaining start to the AFL finals series.

Selwood was in almost everything the Cats did right from the outset.

The 26-year-old kicked the game’s opening goal and had 20 touches by halftime, finishing with 31.

He used pace to break free and boot three goals, but arguably did his best work under the packs with six tackles and nine clearances.

Hawks tagger Will Langford did what he could, but failed to curb Selwood’s influence.

When the Hawks looked to have almost killed the game off, it was Selwood who showed amazing vision to find Mark Blicavs in the goal square and trim the margin to 14 points in the final quarter.

“He is the best man on the ground by some margin,” Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall said of Selwood at the time, while calling the game for Triple M.

“He single-handedly kept them in it.”

As the Cats pressed desperately, it was Hodge who stood up with his clearing kicks, desperate spoils and coach-like ability to marshall the side’s backline.

It was a long way from the 30-year-old’s best game for Hawthorn, but he was the calming influence that allowed the premiers to kick clear and ease to victory.

By his own standards, Hodge had a quiet first half – 10 touches, one tackle and one clearance while spending his time in the midfield and forward line.

In the premiership quarter it was the premiership captain who lifted.

Shifted into defence, he set the game up on the Hawks’ terms but also bobbed up for the quick answer to Tom Hawkins’ first and only goal of the night.