DESPITE kicking just six goals for the match, Hawthorn's three-point win over Adelaide was its strongest victory for the year, according to coach Sam Mitchell.

The two finals aspirants went toe-to-toe in a Launceston slog, with a cumulative 11.25 kicked between the two teams in freezing and slippery winter conditions.

"I was really proud of the boys. Adelaide, they're a good side, they're very good, they're going to be right there," Mitchell said.

"It was probably our best win of the season. It was a really tough night, we were minus-10 tackles at quarter-time, and we ended up being able to wear that back and be in front in the end. 

HAWKS v CROWS Full match coverage and stats

"Having that stability behind the ball means we didn't want to lose clearances as significantly as we did, particularly early. But our defenders held up really well, which gave us enough chances early in the game to get the win.

"I'm sure you saw, on the bench, there was a fair bit of steam coming off the heads of the players. It was a beautiful day, absolutely magic, but obviously the temperature drops quite steeply with no cloud cover. It meant it was going to be slippery. 

"I thought [Adelaide] handled it really well early, they were slick, [in] their first quarter they were really hard to tackle. Their ball use and clean hands was first class. It took us a little while to get up to speed to be honest. I think it was the conditions that led to the low scoring."

Adelaide midfielder Sam Berry had held matchwinner Jai Newcombe to just five disposals in the first half, and 10 in the second, but the hard-working Hawk took full advantage of a loose ball to kick the last goal of the match.

"Someone like 'Newk' kicked the goal – he didn't have a great night, he got sat on a lot, and he battled away all night, but he stayed in it, stayed in it, stayed in it, and his moment came right at the end," Mitchell said.

"He's been sat on a lot, over this year. It's been a steep learning curve for him. Without Will Day around, teams are more likely to go after Newk, and without 'Worps' tonight (James Worpel, quad) – and I think we missed 'Worps' around the coal face and the clearance battle, it took us a bit of time to get into that.

"'Newk', I think, as he matures as a player – being able to make a contribution, maybe not as prolifically, but still with his impact in key moments, I thought it was a really good leaders game from 'Newk', I was really pleased with him."

Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks was ruing a match's worth of missed chances, which could cost his side come the final placings at the end of the season.

"In the end, we just didn't take our opportunities, so scoreboard pressure, we didn't add any and in a very low scoring game, it just took a couple of moments in the second half that didn't go our way, and the game's on again," Nicks said.

"So really pleased [by] the way we attacked it and we came to play, but against the top sides, you've gotta put them away, and it's a pretty disappointed locker room at the moment, knowing that's how the game played out."

Having dominated the first half, the Crows kicked 1.7 after the main break, but looked to have pinched back victory with Izak Rankine's fourth-term goal, until Newcombe's match-winner.

"We have to take the positives from the first half. I think our contest, our tackle, the pressure we bought, the way we played around stoppage, there were a lot of positives in it," Nicks said.

"It's interesting, because from one week to the next – last week, we get across the line by a kick, and the locker-room is a good place to be around. 

"The boys are disappointed, they're competitors. As are we, as a coaching group. And I'm sure our supporters are disappointed as well. It's one of those things with sport – one kick can be the difference, but we know we've got to be better [than] that first half again, and that's really just our finish."