The Bulldogs have now gone 13 games without a win but for the latest team to revel in playing the AFL’s worst side – Hawthorn – the season is only just beginning.
The Hawks have now won their past four matches following this ridiculously easy 23.16 (154) to 12.11 (83) victory – which leaves them just percentage outside the top eight.
It is an amazing comeback by the Hawks considering that when they lost to St Kilda back in round ten they had slumped to an unflattering 3-7 win-loss record as speculation over the future of coach Peter Schwab reached its peak.
However the Hawks will get a far greater test of their credentials as a potential finalist in 2003 next week when they travel to the Gabba to take on reigning premiers Brisbane, who have thrashed the Hawks by a total of 189 points in their last two meetings in Queensland.
In terms of preparation for what is shaping as their most important game of the season – this match was both good and bad for the Hawks.
While the win was a huge boost for the confidence of Schwab’s side – it was hardly the kind of intense match they will be confronted with next week when they take on the likes of Michael Voss and co.
In fact the win over the Bulldogs was as one-sided a game seen in the AFL this year as the backline of Peter Rohde’s side was again shown to be clearly not up to AFL standard.
This was evidenced by the number of times the Hawk forwards were able to take uncontested marks within easy goalscoring distance.
No player benefited more from the pathetic lack of man-marking by the Bulldogs than Nathan Thompson, whose return for his first match since round 10 following a calf injury, turned into a triumph.
The man who is so important to the Hawks’ hopes booted five goals, including three in a match-winning burst in the second term, while he received great support from Jade Rawlings, who took 13 marks and kicked four goals.
And on the few occasions the ball did hit the ground either Ben Dixon or Angelo Lekkas helped themselves to goals – kicking six between them.
The Bulldogs were so bad that even the club’s games record holder Doug Hawkins was seen leaving the MCC members area - where he had been watching the game as a spectator - as early as the third quarter.
Despite wracking up plenty of possessions between them even the Bulldogs’ star players such as Nathan Brown, Scott West and Luke Darcy had no impact on the game with Darcy continuing to look a shadow of the player that dominated in 2002.
The Bulldogs’ performance was perhaps best summed up by the fact that the much-maligned Nathan Eagleton was easily their best player as even the gifted Brown at one stage turned the ball over after losing control of it while bouncing it at half-forward.
The lack of accountability by the Bulldogs players was a particular lowlight of their performance as time and time again Hawthorn players were allowed to run free.
And what made the Hawks win even more impressive was it was achieved without number one ruckman Peter Everitt and late withdrawal Nick Holland but against the Lions next week Schwab is likely to have Everitt, Holland, Thompson and John Barker all in the same side this season for the first time.
In contrast the Bulldogs can no longer use injuries as an excuse for their inability to win even one game since the first round of the season as only skipper Chris Grant and lesser lights Mark Alvey and Scott Bassett are unavailable due to injury.
HAWTHORN: 5.4, 11.9, 18.12, 23.16 (154)
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 2.3, 4.8, 7.10, 12.11 (83)
GOALS: Hawthorn: Thompson 5, Rawlings 4, Dixon, Lekkas 3, Barker 2, Vandenberg, Hodge, Crawford, Tallis, Hay, Ries.
Western Bulldogs: Croft, Giansiracusa, Johnson, Eagleton 2, Garlick, Bandy, Brown, Bowden.
BEST: Hawthorn: Crawford, Rawlings, Smith, Thompson, S Cox, Lekkas, Osborne. Western Bulldogs: Eagleton, Smith, Johnson, Croft.
INJURIES: Hawthorn: nil
Western Bulldogs: nil
CHANGES: Hawthorn: Nick Stone replaced Nick Holland (hamstring).
Western Bulldogs: -
REPORTS: Ben Dixon (Hawthorn) by field umpire Scott Jeffery for wrestling Rohan Smith (Western Bulldogs) in the fourth quarter.
Rohan Smith (Western Bulldogs) by field umpire Jeffery for wrestling Ben Dixon (Hawthorn) in the fourth quarter.
John Barker (Hawthorn) by field umpire Jeffery for wrestling Brian Harris (Western Bulldogs) in the fourth quarter.
Brian Harris (Western Bulldogs) by field umpire Jeffery for wrestling John Barker (Hawthorn) in the fourth quarter.
UMPIRES: Rosebury, McLaren, Jeffery.
CROWD: 31,390 at the MCG.
