Hawthorn face a nervous wait to find out how long Cyril Rioli will be sidelined, with the four-time premiership star suffering a knee injury in the Hawks' 38-point AFL win over Brisbane in Launceston.

Rioli limped to the bench after crashing into Josh Walker with his left knee in a desperate spoiling attempt and didn't reappear after three-quarter time in Saturday afternoon's 17.11 (113) to 11.9 (75) win.

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The Hawks were left counting the cost of their third win of the season after premiership defender Ben Stratton also went off with a knee injury and was unable to see out the game.

"By and large, we're pleased with the win but lick our wounds a bit," coach Alastair Clarkson said.

"We've got a couple of injured boys late in the game, so we'll just have to see how they come out of their scans early next week to determine the extent of their injuries.

"(Cyril's) is a PCL mechanism and we've just got to hope that it's not a severe injury but we've just got to see what's happening with a scan.

"But I'd suggest he'd be highly unlikely to play next week."

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Adding to Clarkson's concerns, winger Isaac Smith was reported for striking Nick Robertson, who applied a hard tag to Smith, in the third quarter.

The Lions didn't escape unscathed either, with former skipper Tom Rockliff dislocating his left shoulder in the final term.

Clarkson's men have struggled to close out games this season, but they led by 29 points at three-quarter time and made sure of the points with a burst of five unanswered goals in the last quarter.

Rioli knee fears dampen Clarko's enjoyment of easy win

The Lions hadn't beaten Hawthorn since round 12 of the 2009 season, with that losing streak extended to eight matches by Saturday's result.

Tom Mitchell was prolific again with 36 possessions for the Hawks, while former Adelaide utility Ricky Henderson enjoyed his best game for his new club with 21 touches and three goals.

Experienced hands Dayne Zorko and Rockliff led the way for Brisbane with 31 and 30 disposals respectively, while ruckman Stefan Martin had 63 hitouts in a stoppage-heavy affair.

"I thought we were really competitive in the first quarter and just a couple of mistakes gave them goals," Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said.

"It was a pretty intense struggle at that time. I thought our effort for most of the day was good but, with those mistakes, Hawthorn are a classy outfit and they'll make you pay every time."

The last-placed Lions slip to a 1-7 record with the loss and host Adelaide next Saturday night at the Gabba.

Hawthorn improve to 3-5 and take on Collingwood, also on Saturday night, at the MCG.

MEDICAL ROOM
Hawthorn: Knee injuries to Ben Stratton and Cyril Rioli marred the day for the Hawks. Both didn't appear in the final quarter.
Brisbane Lions: Acting captain Tom Rockliff hurt his shoulder in the final few minutes and had to have it put back into place by the team doctor. 

NEXT UP
The Hawks are back at the MCG on Saturday night, facing Collingwood, who they haven’t lost to since the 2011 Preliminary Final. The Lions host Adelaide at the Gabba, also on Saturday night.

HAWTHORN             4.3    7.7   11.11    17.11 (113)
BRISBANE LIONS    2.2   5.4    7.6        11.9 (75)

GOALS
Hawthorn: Henderson 3, Roughead 2, Smith 2, O’Brien 2, Gunston, Rioli, Hartung, McEvoy, Howe, Shiels, Breust, Burgoyne
Brisbane Lions: Hipwood 2, Walker 2, Barrett 2, Berry, Bell, Bewick, Rockliff, Lester 

BEST 
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Burton, Howe, Hartung, Smith, Hodge, Henderson
Brisbane Lions: Rockliff, Martin, Rich, Hipwood, Lester, Zorko

INJURIES 
Hawthorn: Stratton (knee), Rioli (knee)
Brisbane Lions: Rockliff (shoulder) 

Reports: Isaac Smith (Hawthorn) reported for striking Nick Robertson (Brisbane Lions).

Umpires: O’Gorman, Jeffery, Mitchell

Official crowd: 10,553 at University of Tasmania Stadium