The Hawks won 19.9 (123) to 10.9 (69) in a bruising game after kicking accurately and making the most of their attacking entries, with Jarryd Roughead starring with five goals.
In comparison, the Kangaroos almost matched the Hawks for inside 50s (57 to 53) but couldn't make the most of their opportunities after being blown away in an incredibly fast second quarter.
However, the win might have come at a cost for the Hawks with young gun Xavier Ellis injuring his left ankle in the first term.
Ellis left the field and spent the game icing his foot on the bench while Kangaroo David Hale was stretchered off after colliding with teammate Lachie Hansen and Roughead in the second term.
The concussed big man was taken to Epworth Hospital for observation.
Sam Mitchell was terrific with 37 touches while Roughead proved his versatility by sporadically rucking in the absence of Robert Campbell and Simon Taylor.
Third-gamer Brendan Whitecross collected plenty of the ball in defence against Matt Campbell, Cyril Rioli impressed by setting up numerous goals and Brent Guerra had an equal career-best 38 possessions.
For the Roos, Josh Gibson worked hard against Buddy Franklin and Brady Rawlings had 35 touches, while Andrew Swallow picked up 24 and laid nine tackles.
Former skipper Adam Simpson put a tumultuous week behind him to collect 10 first-term possessions (28 for the game), which equalled Mitchell's contribution despite being closely trailed by Michael Firrito.
It was a low-scoring first term with only six goals kicked, with the opening six-pointer coming at the eight-minute mark via Firrito.
Roughead got away from Scott Thompson to kick his first five minutes later after Rioli drilled the ball in, only followed it up soon after when he escaped the clutches of Scott McMahon.
Campbell nailed the next to regain the lead, but shanked another into the point post a minute later that could have given his side a handy break.
Franklin kicked two late goals – the first a booming shot from outside 50, and the second when Firrito was caught holding the ball deep in the Hawks' attack.
His late run gave his side a 12-point lead at the first change, and the sides reset for the second with Drew Petrie exploiting his height advantage over Tom Murphy in the opening minute to mark and goal.
Another to Leigh Harding after a Hawthorn turnover had the scores even before the Roos briefly hit the front.
The Hawks then turned on the afterburners to slam through six goals for the term despite the Kangaroos leading the charge in clearances and hit-outs at the main break.
While the Hawks' big boys fired with Roughead kicking four, Franklin three and Stuart Dew two in the first half, the Roos were in trouble with their biggest target Hale off the ground.
Trailing by 29 points, Dean Laidley shifted things around in the third by moving McMahon and Josh Smith into attack and Petrie closer to goal, and the result was immediate with the first two goals coming from the new structure.
But that was where the joy ended for Roos' fans with the Hawks kicking the next three goals through Jarryd Morton, Chance Bateman and Mark Williams to open up a 35-point lead.
The Roos shanked three straight opportunities with Andrew Swallow, Smith and Daniel Pratt kicking inaccurately before Lindsay Thomas goaled, but the Hawks went on to capitalise on their errors with two more to end the quarter.
Hawthorn held a 38-point lead at the final change and cruised to victory with a four-to-two goal fourth term.
North Melbourne will now play Essendon at Docklands next Sunday while Hawthorn hosts Port Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
North Melbourne 2.1 5.5 8.9 10.9 (69)
Hawthorn 4.1 10.4 15.5 19.9 (123)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Petrie 2, Thomas 2, Firrito, Campbell, Harding, Wells, McMahon, Jones
Hawthorn: Roughead 5, Franklin 4, Dew 3, Bateman 2, Morton 2, Williams 2, Mitchell,
BEST
North Melbourne: Gibson, Rawlings, McIntosh, Firrito, Simpson, Swallow
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Roughead, Franklin, Whitecross, Guerra, Rioli, Dew, Bateman
INJURIES
North Melbourne: Hale (concussion)
Hawthorn: Ellis (ankle), Renouf (concussion)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Rosebury, Kamolins, Ryan
Official crowd: 34,893 at Docklands
