A hard-fought, bruising AFL win over St Kilda was just what Jordan Lewis and his Hawthorn teammates needed after their embarrassing fadeout against Sydney.
The Hawks responded to a week of intense criticism in the media, pulling away in the last term on Saturday night at the MCG to win by 35 points.
Lewis played a crucial role, tagging Nick Dal Santo and restricting the star midfielder to 14 possessions.
“In a way, you don’t want to play an easy side this week so you can really prove yourself,” Lewis said.
“St Kilda … aren’t an easy side.
“Our ball use was superb in the last quarter and our forward pressure especially – when the ball got in there, it very rarely came out and we created opportunities for ourselves.”
One of the most notable pieces of media commentary about Hawthorn last week was Garry Lyon’s assessment of their midfield.
Lyon said in a newspaper column that the Hawks were too one-paced around the stoppages.
“You obviously read it and especially being a former superstar of the competition who’s pretty well-(versed) in the game, you take a little bit of notice,” Lewis said.
“But you’ve just got to play your role and some people probably don’t know that.
“We try and work hard, we try to mix our midfield up and sometimes it’s just not the case, but I think we came out on top.”
Star forwards Cyril Rioli and Lance Franklin have also received criticism for their form, but Rioli was best afield with six goals and Franklin hit back with 5.6.
“They’re pretty proud people,” Lewis said.
“So for them to come out and really show that they’re hungry, they want to win and to also hit the scoreboard was vital.”
Rioli had extra motivation after the death of his uncle Sebastian on Thursday in Darwin.
“Coming into this week’s game, I got a bit of motivation from that and from the performance last week – I was happy with my game tonight,” he said.
“I’ve been a bit down on myself, I know I can get a lot better.
“To kick six, I was pretty happy with that.”
Clarkson said the Hawks deserved their media savaging last week, saying they had been “nothing short of putrid” in the second half against Sydney.
He added their win over St Kilda was “really solid”.
The Hawks have a six-day break before they start strong favourites next Friday night against Melbourne at the MCG.