The Sydney Swans went down by six points to Hawthorn in an arm wrestle at the MCG on Friday night.
After leading for most of the night, the Hawks looked in trouble when the Swans hit the lead early in the final quarter on the back of four consecutive goals.
At the time, the Hawks had not kicked a goal since late in the second term, but as they did so many times during their 2013-15 glory years they found a spark.
First, Liam Shiels scrambled through two Swans to soccer a major on the goal-line. And then Jarryd Roughead converted after outmarking Dan Hannebery 10m from goal at the 18-minute mark, stretching the Hawks' lead to 13 points.
A Tom Papley goal with more than a minute to play reduced the Swans' deficit to six points and ensured a nail-biting finish, but the Hawks withstood the challenge to emerge 10.12 (72) to 9.12 (66) victors.
The victory takes Hawthorn – at least temporarily – within half a game of the top eight. It was also the Hawks' fourth win from their past six matches, which included a draw against GWS. After starting the season 1-5 and looking a near certainty to miss the finals for the first time since 2009, they're now an outside chance to return for their eighth consecutive September campaign.
Hawthorn's pressure was outstanding in the first half, helping them to stifle the Swans' ball movement and lock them in their defensive half for extended periods.
The Hawks kicked four consecutive goals from midway through the second quarter to go into half time with a handy 21-point lead.
But the Swans gradually chipped away at their deficit after the main break. A two-goal to none third quarter reduced the Hawks' lead to 10 points at the final break.
And Sydney hit the lead for the first time in nearly two quarters when they kicked two unanswered goals in the opening eight minutes of the final term, through Jarrad McVeigh and Papley.
But with Roughead leading the way with a 12-possession final quarter, the Hawks found a way.
The Hawks skipper finished the match with 24 touches, eight marks and two goals, but statistics don't fully do justice to the influence he had.
Liam Shiels (28 possessions and two goals) was also important through the midfield, with defenders Luke Hodge, James Sicily, Ryan Burton and Kaiden Brand combining brilliantly to stifle the Swans' forwards.
Brand spent most of the night on Lance Franklin, holding him to a solitary goal and restricting his Coleman Medal lead to just four goals over Ben Brown and Joe Daniher.
The Swans entered Friday's game riding a seven-game winning streak and having won 10 of their last 11 games, their most recent loss against Hawthorn in round 10 at the SCG.
Franklin showed there was no love lost between him and Hodge, clashing with his long-time former captain twice in the first quarter.
The Swans spearhead caught the Hawks veteran high in both incidents – first with an open-hand shove that caught Hodge in the face and then with a tackling attempt from behind where his arm collected the back of the two-time Norm Smith medallist's head.
Both clashes are likely to be scrutinised by the Match Review Panel, but neither is likely to earn Franklin a suspension.
The Swans could also pay an injury price with captain Josh Kennedy (hamstring), Sam Naismith (knee) and Callum Sinclair (ankle) spending time off the ground. Before the game, they also lost Jake Lloyd (hip tightness) and Gary Rohan (back spasms) as late withdrawals.
Luke Parker (24 possessions and nine clearances) worked tirelessly all night for Sydney and was well supported by Isaac Heeney (25 possessions) and Tom Papley (17 possessions and 3.3), while Nic Newman (a team-high 29 possessions) and Callum Mills (21 disposals and six inside 50s) were influential playmakers across half-back.
MEDICAL ROOM
Hawthorn: Hawks Jarryd Roughead and Daniel Howe had a nasty head clash early in the game. Roughead suffered a gash across his check and went into the rooms to have stitches, while Howe's nose was taped up. Both players returned soon after and played out the game. Blake Hardwick sat out most of the final three quarters with concussion. The Hawks defender was barreled to the ground in a tackle by Swan Isaac Heeney early in the second term, but got straight up and took a free kick. Heeney's tackle did not appear to have secondary motion required to attract a dangerous tackle charge from the MRP, and Hardwick did not leave the ground for some minutes afterwards. Tom Mitchell limped from the ground late in the third quarter after landing awkwardly on his left ankle in a tackle. The midfielder started the last quarter with his ankle strapped.
Sydney: Jake Lloyd (hip tightness) and Gary Rohan (back spasms) were late withdrawals before the game. Lloyd was ruled out when the Swans lodged their final team 90 minutes before the match, having failed to come up after a six-day break. Rohan was ruled out about 30 minutes before the opening bounce. Sam Naismith (right knee), captain Josh Kennedy (left hamstring) spent extended periods off the ground, while Callum Sinclair (ankle) came to the bench midway through the final quarter.
NEXT UP
The Hawks will enjoy a nine-day break before they play Richmond at the MCG next Sunday. Hawthorn defeated the Tigers by a combined 116 points in their two games at the MCG last year. The Swans face another big Friday night clash next round, when they face Geelong at Simonds Stadium. Sydney won the teams' most recent game at Geelong's home ground, defeating the Cats by 38 points in round 16 last season.
HAWTHORN 4.3 8.6 8.8 10.12 (72)
SYDNEY 2.7 4.9 6.10 9.12 (66)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Burgoyne 2, Schoenmakers 2, Roughead 2, Shiels 2, O'Brien, Duryea
Sydney: Papley 3, Hewett 2, Hayward, Sinclair, Franklin, McVeigh
BEST
Hawthorn: Roughead, Shiels, Hodge, Sicily, Burton, Brand, McEvoy
Sydney: Parker, Heeney, Papley, Newman, Mills
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Roughead (cut cheek), Hardwick (concussion), Mitchell (left ankle)
Sydney: Lloyd (hip tightness) replaced in the selected side by Robinson, Rohan (back spasms) replaced in the selected side by Foote, Naismith (knee), Kennedy (left thigh), Sinclair (ankle)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Stevic, Williamson, McInerney
Official crowd: 52,181 at the MCG
