Hawthorn defeated West Coast by 14 points in a blockbuster match.

It was ponchos galore last night at Domain Stadium as WCE and the Hawks battled it out while the terrible weather rolled in. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of supporters who braved the rain and blistering cold as I watched the game from the comfort of my lounge room, in front of a raging fire.

I tipped the Hawks to win by 10 points, however for the first half of the game I was preparing to serve myself a piece of humble pie. The Eagles came out firing and looked the goods for the majority of the match.

Hawthorn’s big name forwards Jarryd Roughead and Jack Gunston struggled in their forward 50, making it hard for Hawks to have an impact on the scoreboard. Roughead kicked 1.3 while Gunston only kicked 2 points.

The Eagles were fierce on the attack and defence and their ability to transition the ball from one end to the other was outstanding. Josh Kennedy was a strong figure in the WCE forward line, taking some good marks and kicking 4 goals. Jamie Cripps and Jack Darling were the other multiple goal scorers, kicking two goals each. Unfortunately Mark LeCras may get a little holiday after cleaning up James Frawley, and Jeremy McGovern appears to have hurt his hamstring again.

In the end, Hawks delivered a huge 101 tackles to West Coasts 68, which shows that even though they weren’t converting on the scoreboard as efficiently as the Eagles, they were doing everything they could to prevent WCE from running away with the lead. The Hawks managed to get ahead in an intense last quarter after persisting with their defencing pressure for the entirety of the match.

Considering both teams are usually so accurate in front of goal, it’s interesting to note that they both finished on just over 50% accuracy! The conditions were no doubt a huge factor in the match, with game changing winds and a slippery ground.

It was an awesome game to watch and a good representation of what a game between two top 4 sides should look like. Eagles are still second on the ladder and in the coming weeks they face Dockers, Bulldogs and Adelaide, all sides sitting within the top 8. Hawks have a much easier run home and will be fighting hard to finish in the top 2.

Let us know your thoughts on the match: @TweetPerth @Emmalianapayne