Hawthorn has put their surprising upset to North Melbourne last week to bed, after downing a feisty, albeit inaccurate, St Kilda by 35 points at the University of Tasmania Oval.
While St Kilda's Jack Steven pieced together a solid 29-disposal game, it was his side's inaccuracy which ultimately let them down in the end, with the Saints' 7.12 for the night standing in clear contrast to the Hawks' 13.11.
Challenging the Hawks for most of the game, a six-goal final term from Hawthorn all but ruled St Kilda out of clinching their second win of the season.
Although Tom Mitchell finished his night with another impressive 45 touches, his influence in the second half was nowhere near as profound.
It was instead the Hawks' forwards who fired on the night, with Isaac Smith the pick of the bunch with four goals and 24 disposals, while Luke Breust and Jack Gunston capped off their nights with three goals apiece.
Off the back of their heartbreaking draw against Greater Western Sydney last week, the Saints came out of the blocks early with the first three inside 50s of the game.
But once again, it was inaccuracy in front of goal which proved to be costly, with the Saints registering just seven behinds for the opening term.
Hawthorn punished their poor kicking, with Luke Breust opening the scoring for the Hawks off the back of a coast to coast play, before Isaac Smith put through two first quarter majors of his own.
The Hawks continued to dominate the Saints all over the ground, with their sharp ball movement far more superior to that of their opposition.
Their subsequent control of the ball - in which they had racked up 33 marks against their match average of 40 - further caused the Saints to look a far departure from their efforts last week.
Like the Saints, the Hawks too had their kicking woes (3.7), but the three crucial majors on the board propelled themselves to a 21-point lead at the first change.
Almost identical to their opening foray, the Saints found themselves with all the early momentum, but failure to convert early on allowed the Hawks to grasp onto their lead.
Channelling his inner Josh Bruce from last year's clash with the Hawks, Tim Membrey waltzed into a vacant goal square before cannoning the ball into the upright, much to the bewilderment of the crowd.
The big forward later made much-needed amends with St Kilda's first major of the game only minutes later, before the Saints found their feet and began to claw their way back into the contest with the next two goals courtesy of Jack Sinclair and Tom Hickey.
With the Saints' three goals created from defensive turnovers, the Hawks were left to rue their uncleanliness as their opposition entered a blistering purple patch and narrowed the margin to just eight points at half-time.
Youngster Ben Long was exceptionally dangerous both in the air and at ground level, paving the way for repeated entries inside the Saints' forward 50, while Seb Ross and Shane Savage slammed the ball forward on multiple occasions to gain valuable ground for their side.
The Hawks too had their own danger men, and after two weeks of being tagged, Tom Mitchell looked to have broken free of his chains, notching up 27 possessions by half-time.
But the Saints had plans for the ball-magnet, with Luke Dunstan replacing Jack Steele as a tagger, ultimately quelling Mitchell's influence to just the six touches by three-quarter time.
With Mitchell out of the picture, the Saints had the opportunity to assert themselves on the game, with Paddy McCartin clunking a huge contested mark and converting to bring St Kilda within two points.
As both sides exchanged goals and Isaac Smith slotted his third, the Saints were again left to resent their inaccuracy in front of goal, with three misses obliterating their chances of creeping their way in front.
Even with Mitchell quiet in the term, the Hawks dominated the clearances, yet at ground level and through their intercept plays, the Saints - in particular through Long, Jack Steven and Ross - continued to pester and remain well and truly in the match.
Even with the conditions optimal for football early - albeit it being a fraction chilly - both sides struggled to keep their feet as the ground's dew continued to manifest in the term, with the final turnover count (76-72) further emphasising their combined difficulty in the increasing wet.
The margin resting at just five points, a late major in the final minute to Breust gave the Hawks some desperately required breathing room, extending the margin to 11 points at the final change.
Two successive behinds to St Kilda prevented their hopes of attaining the lead late in the match, and after a period of neither side being able to break away, Hawthorn managed to break the stalemate with Jack Gunston slotting a goal from a set shot.
The one major from Gunston was all Hawthorn needed to kick-start their final onslaught, piling on a further five goals opposed to St Kilda's two.
Even with ruckman Ben McEvoy off the field for most of the last quarter, the Hawks swooped over their opposition all over the ground, seizing all their chances in front of goal and burying the now-flailing Saints by a convincing 35 points.
Undoubtedly disappointed in the final quarter blowout and their lacklustre kicking, St Kilda will nonetheless be mostly pleased with their efforts in contending with one of the stronger sides of the competition.
Hawthorn conversely, although not overly rapt with their performance, will be content with the four points after their shock upset against North Melbourne last week.
St Kilda will still be searching for their second win when they come up against Melbourne next Sunday at Etihad Stadium, while Hawthorn will come up against an indifferent Essendon outfit at the MCG.
HAWTHORN 3.7 4.9 7.9 13.11 (89)
ST KILDA 0.4 3.7 5.10 7.12 (54)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Smith 4, Breust 3, Gunston 3, Impey, Howe, Morrison
St Kilda: Membrey, Steele, McCartin, Long, Hickey, Billings, Sinclair
BEST
Hawthorn: Smith, Breust, Mitchell, Henderson, Morrison
St Kilda: Steven, Hickey, Ross, Webster, Savage, Long
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
St Kilda: Nil
TALKING POINTS
1. HAWKS' STRONG FINISH IS TELLING
Although North Melbourne were able to hold on against an eight-goal second half against the Hawks last week, St Kilda weren't as fortunate after being on the receiving end of a six-goal final quarter blowout.
Hawthorn's ability to turn on the heat rivals that of Richmond, who too are renowned for putting the foot down in the final term.
It's with this drive which makes Hawthorn an exceptionally dangerous side, and as seen against Melbourne last fortnight, they refuse to take their foot off the gas at any stage.
Sitting in fourth position on the ladder with a 4-2 record, it seems like the only way for the Hawks to go is upward.
2. ST KILDA INACCURACY LETS THEM DOWN... AGAIN
Once again, the Saints' execution in front of goal leaves little to be desired, and most definitely hindered their chances of a scalp against the Hawks.
Behinds are to be expected, there is no doubt some shots on goal were nothing short of shambolic.
Kicking 7.12 against Hawthorn, their shots at goal did little to improve their season total of 52.76, in which they average 8.12 a game.
Take out the anomaly of 16.11 against Brisbane in round one, and their average score sits at 7.13 - a figure they have been in the ballpark of over their most recent five games.
While this statistic can be viewed as somewhat misconstrued given it includes rushed behinds and shots on the run, there's no denying their inaccuracy stands as a major flaw in their current game play.
It's not the only factor costing them wins, but is sure is playing a major - and frustrating - part.
3. TIM... HOW DID YOU MANAGE THAT?
There were some terrible misses from the Saints on Saturday night, but Tim Membrey's blunder well and truly takes the cake.
Known for his pinpoint accuracy, a goal on the run in the goal square had pundits already pencilling a goal alongside Membrey's name in the record.
But as the ball flew like a rocket into the goalpost, Saints and supporters were stunned as Josh Bruce's eerily similar poster against Hawthorn last year flashed before their eyes.
The whiteout didn't need to be pulled out however, after Membrey rectified his mistake with his first major of the night only minutes later.
Just don't scare St Kilda fans like that again, Tim.
Please.
4. SMITH STARS
The Hawks' vice-captain oozed class against the Saints, and stood head and shoulders over anyone else on the ground.
Shining with four goals and 24 disposals, Isaac Smith's flair and blistering run proved to be too hot for the Saints to handle.
Instrumental to his side's victory, Smith's efforts were somewhat overshadowed by his fellow teammate in Tom Mitchell, who dominated the stat sheet with 45 touches.
Although having nearly double the amount of touches, his influence has near half that of Smith's, whose incredible display rubbed the Saints well and truly out of contention.
Another hero of the Hawks, and an often unsung one at that.
5. TOM MITCHELL KEEPS THEM COMING
Although not his most influential night, a 45-disposal effort from Tom Mitchell still deserves a commendation.
With another 40+ disposals game under his belt, Mitchell continues to mount his case as a hot Brownlow favourite of 2018.
Unfazed by the Jack Steele tag placed on him in the first half - in which he garnered 27 disposals - Mitchell slowed down in the third (six touches) after Luke Dunstan wore him like a glove before finishing strong with a 12-disposal final term.
Averaging a whopping 37.3 disposals per game, there seems to be no sign of Mitchell slowing down, despite copping two heavy tags in his side's clashes against Melbourne and North Melbourne.
An absolute ball-magnet if ever there was one.
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