Hawthorn have matched their club record 12-game winning streak with a thumping 58-point AFL defeat of Brisbane at Aurora Stadium.
The Hawks booted seven goals to two in a dominant third quarter in, at times, greasy conditions after they had led by 22 at halftime to thrash the Lions 21.17 (143) to 12.13 (85).
Brisbane fought hard for the first half of the match, but couldn’t match last week’s comeback against Geelong when the home side hit the accelerator after the long break, only Hawthorn’s inaccurate kicking early preventing a complete mauling.
Jarryd Roughead and Lance Franklin booted four goals each with Shane Savage and Luke Breust kicking three each among 11 goalkickers for the Hawks, who equalled a 1961 streak that took them to premiership glory.
For the Lions, co-captain Jonathan Brown fought a near lone battle with four majors, Mitch Golby chipping in with two in front of 15,796.
Hawthorn’s victory sets up a tantalising attempt at the club record in a blockbuster against Geelong at the MCG next Saturday.
But they could have injury concerns over luckless Xavier Ellis, who was subbed off before halftime, and Liam Shiels, who appeared to injure his right ankle.
Josh Gibson survived a spectacular collision with Lion Golby, landing on his neck after becoming airborne and temporarily leaving the field.
The disruptions couldn’t stall Hawthorn’s momentum, though, with Roughead’s back-to-back majors in the third breaking Brisbane’s resistance before Savage and Breust bagged two each as the Hawks ran away with it in the last.
Hawthorn could have shot out to a substantial lead in the first quarter, when they kicked 3.8(26) to Brisbane’s 1.2(8), their poor kicking typified by Isaac Smith’s run into an open goal only to grubber through for a behind.
They made some amends with two goals in as many minutes after the break to lead by 30 before a double from Brown narrowed the margin to 16.
But Brown’s effort was equalled spectacularly by Franklin, who skidded one through from 60 metres and, a minute later, drove one home from an acute angle on the left from 50.
The Lions hit back through Tom Rockliff to go to the long break 22 points down, having kicked four in answer to Hawthorn’s five in an entertaining quarter.
