HAWTHORN has piled on 12 of the last 15 goals to turn a desperately tight contest against Richmond into a comfortable 46-point win at the MCG on Friday night, but questions remain about their premiership credentials.

Taking the field without Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Jarryd Roughead for the first time since Alastair Clarkson took over as coach in 2005, the Hawks looked in desperate trouble when the Tigers kicked the opening four goals of the third term to turn a 15-point half-time deficit into a 12-point lead.

But Hawthorn found the counter-punch it needed, kicking the final three goals of the third term to take a nine-point lead into the last break, and then rammed on nine goals to three in the final quarter to record a 21.10 (136) to 13.12 (90) win.

Five talking points: Richmond v Hawthorn

Luke Breust was the star for the Hawks with six goals, including three in the final quarter, while Jack Gunston and Paul Puopolo were also dangerous in attack, kicking four and three goals respectively.

Importantly, all three forwards found ways to hit the scoreboard at times when the momentum was with Richmond at times during the first three quarters.

After Mitchell's late withdrawal with a corked calf, acting skipper Jordan Lewis (28 possessions and one goal) stood up in the midfield, while Shaun Burgoyne also took on a more prominent on-ball role and Josh Gibson was his usual steadying influence in the back half.

Billy Hartung (28 possessions and one goal) penetrated the Tigers' defences with his run in his first game back from a week in the VFL, while Isaac Smith (25 and one) worked just as tirelessly up and down the ground.

The Hawks entered Friday night's came on the back of their worst loss in seven years, a 75-point defeat by Greater Western Sydney at Spotless Stadium last Saturday that prompted some, including club great Jason Dunstall, to rule them out of this year's premiership calculations.

Friday night's win would not have convinced the sceptics that the Hawks' quest for a record-equalling fourth consecutive premiership is back on track, but it takes them to a 5-2 record safe in the knowledge they will improve when injured 'soldiers' Mitchell, Hodge and Roughead return.

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said the game had turned around when the Hawks got on top at the clearances in the final term. 

"We started to win the ball a little bit better from clearances and, in the early part of the game in particular, Richmond were really strong out of the centre bounce," Clarkson said.

"In the last part of the game that started to flow our way.

"We started to think if we could get enough supply we could kick a big enough score to win, but we didn't anticipate that it was going to open up like that."

WATCH: Alastair Clarkson's full post-match media conference

The Tigers had won three of their past four clashes against Hawthorn entering Friday night's game, but their loss saw them slump to 1-6, their worst record after round seven since coach Damien Hardwick's first season, 2010.

But there was a lot to like about the performance and the Tigers' inaccuracy at the start of the third quarter – they kicked four goals from seven scoring shots – cost them the chance to put more scoreboard pressure on Hawthorn.

Dustin Martin (28 possessions) was outstanding for Richmond all night, helping to cover the big hole left by injured skipper Trent Cotchin in the midfield.

Fellow midfielder Anthony Miles (24 possessions) was instrumental in the Tigers' third-quarter comeback, kicking two goals in two minutes to put them 12 points up, while Shaun Grigg (24) and Brandon Ellis (27) were prolific ball-winners and Shaun Hampson toiled hard in the ruck.

Hardwick said after the game that he took positives out of his team's first three quarters, but couldn't gloss over its capitulation in the final term.

"We were disappointed to go down like we did in the last quarter. We were just belted around in clearances and contested ball that last quarter and they just controlled the ball," Hardwick said.

"The first three quarters I thought were commendable. Our effort and intensity was there and we played some pretty good footy.

"It was probably a game where we had a couple of opportunities during the third (quarter). I thought we didn't capitalise enough. (We) just had some bits of play where Hawthorn were too classy and made sound decisions, whereas we probably coughed it up and turned the ball over."

WATCH: Damien Hardwick's full post-match media conference

Hardwick guaranteed in the lead-up to Friday night's game that his team would bounce back from its poor start to 2016, and the Tigers coach looked as good as his word when Richmond kicked the opening three goals of the game.

Nick Vlastuin got the Tigers off to the best possible start, snapping a goal on the run within 19 seconds of the opening bounce.

By the seven-minute mark, Jack Riewoldt had chimed in with two goals of his own to extend Richmond's lead to 17 points.

But if anyone sensed the Hawks were about to dish up another lacklustre performance in the wake of the GWS loss, Alastair Clarkson's men soon set them straight.

Breust provided the spark for the Hawks in attack, kicking the game's next three goals, but he could thank Cyril Rioli for the latter two, which were both set up by the Norm Smith medallist's electrifying defensive pressure.

A Puopolo goal helped send Hawthorn into the first break with a four-point lead, and the reigning premier looked in complete control when Gunston kicked two consecutive goals at the start of the second term to extend its lead to 16.

But Richmond hit back kicking the next three goals – two from Tyrone Vickery – to briefly regain the lead before the Hawks matched that effort through majors from Puopolo, Rioli and Gunston to go into half-time with a 15-point lead.

MEDICAL ROOM
Richmond: Defender Jake Batchelor came off the ground with a knee injury but returned soon after and played out the game.

Hawthorn: Sam Mitchell was a late withdrawal with injury. Hawthorn football operations manager Chris Fagan said the star midfielder had been ruled out with "some soreness with a corked calf".

NEXT UP
Richmond's draw does not get any easier next round when it takes on the Sydney Swans at the MCG on Saturday. The Tigers have won their past two clashes against the Swans, but lost the teams' most recent encounter at the MCG in round 14, 2014. Hawthorn hosts Fremantle at Aurora Stadium on Saturday. The Hawks are undefeated in eight games against the Dockers in Launceston dating back to 2002, but that dominance is not limited to Tasmania, with the reigning premiers winning eight of the teams' past nine clashes.

RICHMOND          3.4   6.7   10.11   13.12 (90) 
HAWTHORN        4.2   9.4   12.8   21.10 (136) 

GOALS

Richmond: Vickery 3, Riewoldt 3, Short 2, Miles 2, Lloyd, Vlastuin, Griffiths
Hawthorn: Breust 6, Gunston 4, Puopolo 3, Smith, Sicily, Shiels, Rioli, Lewis, Ceglar, Hill, Hartung  

BEST 

Richmond: Martin, Miles, Grigg, Vlastuin,Riewoldt, Edwards
Hawthorn: Breust, Hartung, Gibson, Gunston, Smith, Lewis, Puopolo 

INJURIES 

Richmond: Batchelor (knee)
Hawthorn: Sam Mitchell (corked calf) replaced in the selected side by Kieran Lovell 

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Rosebury, Mollison, Wallace

Official crowd: 49,678 at the MCG