1. Second 'siren gate' in Launceston?
For the second week in a row the GIANTS were held to a nail-biting draw, this time in scenes reminiscent of the infamous 'siren gate' scenario played out between St Kilda and Fremantle in Launceston back in 2006. With the Hawks rushing the ball over their own line during the frantic final seconds, the University of Tasmania Stadium crowd all-but drowned out the final siren and there was confusion around the ground for several moments as the dust settled on a remarkable contest that will leave both sides scratching their heads as to how they let four points turn into two.
2. There’s no stopping Tom
From the moment Tom Mitchell registered the first disposal of the game, Hawthorn’s star recruit looked on track to break the 30-disposal barrier for a record 12th consecutive occasion. Coming into the Launceston fixture tied on 11 with former teammate, Swan Josh Kennedy who set his mark during the second half of 2015, Mitchell had raced to 14 touches by quarter-time and powered on in his inimitable fashion throughout the afternoon. Mitchell finished with 39 possessions and nine tackles to continue the sequence he commenced against the Suns in round three.
3. Hawks lift in six-goal third term
Mitchell’s record-breaking possession came midway through a third quarter that saw Hawthorn really muscle-up and stamp their authority on the game, eventually surging to the lead on the back of a Jarryd Roughead goal that was met with a throaty roar from every 'Tassie Hawk' in the crowd. With goals to Luke Breust and Kade Stewart to round out the six-goals-to-two quarter, the Hawks stretched out to a 15-point lead and looked every bit the dominant outfit they’ve been so many times before in Launceston, much to the delight of the majority of the crowd.
4. Clarkson's men turn the screws
It wasn’t exactly 'bruise-free footy' for the GIANTS in the first half, but given the way Hawthorn attacked the contest after half-time you could be forgiven for thinking Alastair Clarkson had been livid at his side’s inability to pressure the GIANTS effectively in the first half. The GIANTS had managed 50 uncontested possessions more than Hawthorn to the main break and were able to kick their way through the Hawks' defensive zone to set up a number of scoring opportunities. But with 19 tackles in the third term (they’d had just 21 to half-time), Hawthorn was able to pressure the GIANTS into regular turnovers and kick away to what seemed a dominant position at the last change.
5. The General stands tall
The much-vaunted GIANTS tall forwards had been overshadowed by Hawthorn’s small set-up for most of the afternoon, managing two fewer marks inside forward 50m than Hawthorn to midway through the final term. And save for Jonathon Patton standing tall by converting twice in the last quarter to take his tally to five goals for the day, it would have been a far different result. As it was, the Hawks had their chances to take the spoils and may well rue a number of missed opportunities during a dominant third-quarter during while they recorded 5.6 and let a couple of really kickable opportunities slip.
