Heavyweight clash makes Freo seem lightweight
IT WAS supposed to be a grand final preview but the clash between heavyweights Hawthorn and Fremantle did not live up to its billing, with the Hawks crushing the Dockers by 72 points in Launceston yesterday.
Hawthorn were rarely troubled by the ladder leaders, with the 17.13 ( 115) to 6.7 ( 43) victory extending their winning streak at Aurora Stadium to 14 games.
The Round 15 contest did not reach any great heights but it wasn’t without points of interest with Nat Fyfe and Sam Mitchell involved in incidents.
Fyfe will come under scrutiny from the match review panel for a late challenge on Taylor Duryea that saw a 50m penalty paid against him in the first quarter after he made contact with his forearm to Duryea’s face in a marking contest.
“I think, ultimately, the MRP will re- view and there will be outcomes,” Dockers coach Ross Lyon said. “I don’t like to pre- empt anyway. ‘‘ They’re doing their best ... everything is what it is and everything gets judged fairly. I think we all believe in that.”
Josh Gibson, with 27 disposals, expertly marshalled the defensive unit and Mitchell did the same with Hawthorn’s onball brigade on his way to a game- high 39 possessions.
A Lachie Neale long bomb would prove to be the Dockers’ only major for the first half as Hawthorn ground out a 19- point lead at the first break that they extended to 38 points at halftime.
Fremantle grabbed two of the first three goals of the second half but the Hawks kicked the next five goals to lead by 61 points at the final break.
The Dockers conceded a score greater than 100 points for the first time this AFL season.