1. Where was everyone?
All the ingredients were there for a great afternoon at the footy. Bright sunshine and clear autumn skies prevailed in Launceston and conditions were perfect for football. Disappointingly – but rather predictably – the attendance was well down on usual numbers at Aurora Stadium. Perhaps the regulars read too much into the debate around a massive margin being on the cards and decided to spend their day elsewhere. Or perhaps the recent Kangaroos matches in Hobart have had an impact on the northern crowds. Either way, a crowd of 10,513 was a disappointing result for the Hawks at their home away from home.
2. Little man, big stats
Tom Scully went to Hawthorn talisman Sam Mitchell at the opening bounce – but he didn't stay there long. In fact, it appeared like no one from GWS wanted to spend too much time on Mitchell as the little maestro helped himself to 20 touches and a goal by half-time. He finished with 35 disposals and his first-quarter goal will be replayed time and time again this week. Mitchell chalked up uncontested possessions at will and must have given the Giants' brains trust a few headaches as he continually drove the Hawks forward and was clearly best afield.
3. Roughead proves his class
If, as is widely postulated, Lance Franklin's recent downturn in form is due to a preoccupation with thoughts of contract negotiations, it might be reasonable to suggest Jarryd Roughead is thinking about nothing but football at the moment. The versatile tall forward was razor sharp against GWS, booting five goals and looking impressive around the ground – even taking his place as ruck rover in several centre bounces. After a long lay-off following an Achilles injury in 2011, Roughead looks to be back somewhere near his best in 2013 and is keeping a smile on the faces of Hawks fans.
4. Tackling like GIANTS
It's widely acknowledged that the youth and inexperience on the GWS list makes it hard for the fledgling club to compete for four quarters at AFL level – but given the tackling stats against Hawthorn, no one can question the Giants' commitment to the contest. The Giants out-tackled the Hawks by 44-32 in the opening half and the pressure they managed to exert in racking up 67 to the final change had plenty to do with their admirable third-quarter performance. The Hawks could only manage three goals in the premiership quarter and were really forced to work hard by the dogged Giants outfit. It may not have been pretty, but there's little doubt it was better to watch than the out-and-out massacre many had predicted.
5. Sharing the love
Other than the four premiership points, Hawthorn might not take too much away from its 83-point win in Launceston. Forced to toil hard by a disciplined GWS, the Hawks eventually pulled clear with a six-goal final term. One positive for Alastair Clarkson and his team will be the 13-strong list of goalkickers on Saturday. Jarryd Roughead (5) and Jack Gunston (3) led the way, but players from all over the ground chimed in with majors as the premiership hopefuls racked up a nice little percentage booster against their cellar-dwelling opponent.
