Australian Football

Match Report

For the third week running, Hawthorn has pulled victory from the jaws of defeat, defeating the Adelaide Crows by three points at the MCG in a thrilling match on Friday night. The Hawks gave up the lead midway through the third quarter and were as much as 20 points behind half way through the final term, but Paul Puopolo and Cyril Rioli combined to kick the last three goals of the match, with Puopolo snatching back the lead with his fifth of the match with only a minute left on the clock. 

The Crows attacked from the resultant centre bounce and fans screamed for a free kick when Hawk Isaac Smith was wrapped up in a tackle with the ball in his hands right in front on the Adelaide goal but the adjudicating umpire ruled that he had no prior opportunity to get rid of the ball. The siren sounded soon after to give Hawthorn victory, incredibly its third consecutive win by three points. 

It was only the fourth match in V/AFL history in which a team has won or lost by the same margin in three consecutive matches, and only the fifth occasion in which a team has won three in a row by under a goal. 

The match got off to an electrifying start, with Eddie Betts goaling within the first minute for the Crows. Puopolo replied with his first a couple of minutes later and this set the tone for the first part of the match. By just the eight-minute mark, five goals had been kicked, three to the Hawks and two to Adelaide and the match was heading towards another 'shoot-out', following the trend set in the first four rounds of the season.

After Hawthorn's third major, the Crows' potent forward line exploded into action. In the next 15 minutes, Adelaide added five goals to none, two each to Betts and Mitch McGovern, and the Crows were out to a four-goal lead. The Hawks recovered slightly with a goal to Tim O'Brien, and the margin was back to 16 points at the first break. They continued their fightback with majors to Rioli and Jonathan Cellar early in the second quarter, and the two sides more or less traded goals until half time, the Crows just ahead - 10.5 to 10.3 - at the long break.

James Sicily kicked the first of the third term inside the first minute but the goals dried up somewhat over the next half hour. The Crows kicked four majors - two to Jarryd Lyons - over the next 28 minutes, holding the Hawks to just 1.1, and it was Adelaide by an even two goals at the final change of ends.

Hawthorn kicked two of the first three goals of the final term to close the gap to just six points, but majors to Paul Seedsman and Luke Brown saw the Crows ahead by 15 points at the 22-minute mark, and seemingly home and hosed. But the late heroics of Puopolo and Rioli allowed Hawthorn to once again eke out an unlikely win when all appeared lost, the reigning premiers home by three points once more.

Puopolo (five goals, 23 possessions) had possibly his best-ever match for the Hawks, while Rory Sloane (26 touches and seven tackles) was outstanding for the Crows. 

The Hawks are now fifth on the ladder with a 4-1 record, with a match against GWS at the Sydney Showground to come on Saturday. Surely they cannot win a fourth match in a row by three points! Adelaide (ninth, 3-2) will return home to host the winless Fremantle Dockers at the Adelaide Oval on the same day.

GOALS
Hawthorn: Puopolo 5; Rioli 4; Sicily 2; Breust, Gunston, O'Brien, McEvoy, Ceglar, Smith
Adelaide: Betts 3; Jenkins, Walker, McGovern, Lyons, Lynch 2; Brown, Cameron, Seedsman, Sloane

BEST - AFL.COM.AU
Hawthorn: Puopolo, Mitchell, Rioli, Hodge, Smith
Adelaide: Sloane, Thompson, Atkins, Mackay, Lynch, Jacobs

BEST - HERALDSUN.COM.AU
Hawthorn: Puopolo, Rioli, Mitchell, Hodge, Smith, Burgoyne, Langford, Shiels
Adelaide: Sloane, Thompson, Laird, Atkins, Seedsman, Jacobs, McGovern, Lynch

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Hill (leg)
Adelaide: Nil

UMPIRES: Foot, Nicholls, Ryan

TELEVISION BROADCAST: Fox Footy

COMMENTATORS: Bruce McAvaney, Dennis Cometti, Wayne Carey, Cameron Ling, Matthew Richardson