Hawthorn opened their AFL pre-season campaign in superb fashion on Friday night, while North Melbourne and Richmond were dealing with potentially costly incidents at Etihad Stadium.
Skipper Sam Mitchell was superb, while Lance Franklin impressed in a free-wheeling midfield role as the Hawks kicked the opening 38 points on their way to belting the Kangaroos 1.6.8 (53) to 0.4.4 (28).
Earlier, North youngster Robbie Tarrant kicked the winning goal to give the Kangaroos a 0.7.2 (44) to 0.6.5 (41) victory over Richmond, with the Tigers to play Hawthorn in the remaining clash.
But the Kangaroos’ win over Richmond was soured when key defender Nathan Grima limped off before half-time with what was later confirmed as a strained medial ligament in his left knee.
The backman was restricted to just 12 games last year by back and finger injuries.
And the Tigers are likely to face a stint without promising youngster Reece Conca, who was involved in an off-the-ball incident with North’s Leigh Adams earlier in the night.
Conca appeared to make high contact with Adams in a collision which happened a long way from the ball, with the Kangaroo assessed for concussion on the field by medical staff before being subbed off.
While the Tigers and Kangaroos had their concerns, it was all good news for the Hawks against North.
The Kangaroos barely went into attack for the first 15 minutes of the contest, as last year’s preliminary finalists dominated in the midfield and held the ball superbly in their forward half.
Mitchell had nine touches by half-time on his way to a game-high 13, while Franklin mixed 11 touches with three marks and 1.2.
Speedster Cyril Rioli also showed his class, with youngsters Matt Suckling and Liam Shiels also building on impressive 2011 seasons.
The Kangaroos were well-served by ex-skipper Brent Harvey, while Tarrant impressed in attack against the Tigers, but was given fewer opportunities against the Hawks.
The best signs for Richmond in their loss to the ‘Roos was a strong showing by ex-Adelaide ruckman Ivan Maric and a good performance in midfield and attack by young star Dustin Martin.