Hawthorn has defeated a hapless Carlton outfit in a clinical display at Etihad Stadium, running out as 72-point victors to remain in September relevancy.
Tom Mitchell starred again for the Hawks in the 18.16 (124) to 7.10 (52) victory, finishing with two goals and 46 touches, while small forwards Luke Breust and Paul Puopolo compounded Carlton’s misery with a combined nine goals between them.
Even with Jaeger O’Meara a late out, the Hawks barely skipped a beat, comfortably cruising over their opposition with no injuries and a few percentage points to boot.
The Hawks now move into seventh position as a result, and will remain there should Port Adelaide defeat Greater Western Sydney later today.
The Blues were kept scoreless in the opening term, as the Hawks stacked on four of their own to establish a healthy buffer early in the piece.
In a clinical display of efficiency by foot, Hawthorn completely cut Carlton’s defensive zone to
pieces, operating at around 83 per cent kicking efficiency by foot.
The Hawks kicked the first goal of the game after consecutive blemishes and refused to look back from that point on.
The regulars in Tom Mitchell (14 first quarter touches) Jarryd Roughead, and the collective Hawthorn defence aided to hold Carlton scoreless, with the Blues showing no signs of potentially troubling the scoreboard early in the piece.
With Paul Puoplo, Ryan Schoenmakers, Luke Breust and Teia Miles all hitting the scoreboard, the Hawks slotted home a 27-point advantage heading into the first break.
While the Blues brought a renewed energy into the second quarter, the most that could be said of their performance was they finally scored, through a snap by veteran Kade Simpson early in the term.
The rest of the quarter, however, was totally dominated by the Hawks, who piled on four goals to
one, with Bruest and Roughead becoming multiple goalkickers, while the inside 50 count rested at 29-12 for the half.
The misery kept mounting on for Carlton, with one of their few shining lights, Zac Fisher, forced off halfway through the second term, coupled with Simpson and Liam Jones colliding, the latter of whom didn't return to the field.
It only heightened Carlton’s struggles as the Hawks took a 47-point lead heading
into half-time, with the Blues desperate to put together a respectable second half.
The third quarter brought some reprieve for the Blues, yet despite winning the quarter four goals to three, they looked a far departure from their opposition.
After the Hawks extended their lead to 60 points via Breust’s fourth and a Ricky Henderson goal,
one of the biggest blowouts of the year looked to be on the cards.
Carlton, however, finally brought to the table some intent and effort and put Hawthorn under pressure for the first time in the match.
Four goals in a row to Carlton, including a freak first AFL goal to youngster Cameron Polson, saw the Blues inject some passion and hope into the game - something their supporters had been yearning for for weeks, as they headed into the final change 42 points down.
Both sides continued to trade blows throughout the final term, with Hawthorn unwilling to fully exert themselves and Carlton unable to place any meaningful pressure.
Despite their carefree approach, the Hawks slammed on seven goals for the quarter, leaving a dejected Carlton to wallow in defeat.
With the final margin resting at 72 points, Hawthorn's hopes of sneaking into the top-eight look that much more credible.
For Carlton however, the script isn't looking like changing any time soon.
Hawthorn will face Fremantle next Sunday at Optus Stadium to remain in the hunt, while Carlton will hit the road to take on Gold Coast next Saturday at Metricon Stadium.
CARLTON 0.0 1.2 5.7 7.10 (52)
HAWTHORN 4.3 8.7 11.13 18.16 (124)
GOALS
Carlton: Cripps 2, Curnow, Kennedy, Wright, Polson, Simpson
Hawthorn: Breust 5, Puopolo 4, Gunston 2, Mitchell 2, Schoenmakers 2, Roughead,
Henderson, Miles
BEST
Carlton: Cripps, Kennedy, Murphy, Weitering, Simpson
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Breust, Roughead, Puopolo, Worpel
INJURIES
Carlton: Thomas (lacerated knee) replaced in the selected side by Graham, Fisher (ankle), Jones (leg)
Hawthorn: O’Meara (hip) replaced in the selected side by O’Rourke
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