AFL Friday Night: Hawthorn Dominates GWS Amidst Giants' Injury Woes

Inside 50s: 38-16 Hawthorn Clearances: 32-13 Hawthorn Centre clearances: 9-3 Hawthorn Contested possessions: 78-72 Hawthorn Uncontested possessions: 116-109 Hawthorn Marks inside 50: 4-2 Hawthorn Tackles: 39-36 Hawthorn

It's not just that the Hawks lead every metric (or at least all of these). It's not just that the Giants have lost two key players.

Look at those inside 50 numbers. Look at the clearances.

Even in the uncontested possessions, GWS were +17 after one quarter. Now the Hawks are +7. It's just bad news for the visitors.

HT: Hawthorn 9.6 (60) leads GWS 4.6 (30)

Clayton Oliver has the ball in his hands as the siren sounds - he has 20 possessions for the half.

But that's about the best news for the Giants, the rest of it is a grim tale indeed.

The Hawks are on fire, and they have cleared out to a 30-point lead (brought back slightly by a late goal to Callum Brown).

As if that wasn't enough, Nick Watson is on one of THOSE games, and GWS look to have lost two players to serious injuries.

This could get messy after the break as the Giants start running low on rotations.

Nick Watson has three - and 100 for his AFL career

The Giants have no answer right now.

The Hawks are sweeping GWS aside at the minute. Nick Watson gets his mitts on it again, and he kicks his third of the night!

That is his 100th AFL goal, in his 58th AFL game.

How DO you stop the Wizard?

You can't give Nick Watson a sniff! Hawks have another

There's no worries about Nick Watson's fitness!

The Hawks kick the ball long inside 50 to a pack.

It somehow goes through the hands and bounces toward goal, where Watson bursts through grabs it and throws it on the boot to get it just inside the post (all in one motion, or nearly!)

Now Jack Ginnivan gets in on the action

The Hawks are putting the foot down, and Jack Ginnivan is the latest to score a goal this quarter.

We are into time on, and the lead is out to 23 points.

More news on the Giants injuries

It seems like Max Gruzewski's injury is a patella (kneecap) dislocation. Like we said, no good. Best wishes to the young Giant for a quick recovery.

Cam McKenzie gets a goal for the Hawks

The night is just sliding a bit for the visitors.

The Hawks are sensing an opportunity, they get it to Cam McKenzie, who runs around and thumps a right-foot bomb from near 50.

It goes through!

The Hawks are rolling. The lead is out to 17 points.

Terrible injury worries for Giants as Daniels, Gruzewski off

This game is turning into a game of attrition.

Brent Daniels has come off the ground with a big calf injury, and he could hardly make it off. He's got a problem.

But it has got a lot worse, with Max Gruzewski (back in the side tonight) going down in backplay.

It looked like his knee may have buckled on him. No good at all.

He comes off slowly, and the Giants are in big injury trouble on the bench.

Nick Watson produces some magic for Hawthorn

Nick Watson has been pretty well held by Joe Fonti in the first part of this game.

The Wizard only had eight touches, but his ninth was a beauty!

He got it in the right forward pocket and snapped a great goal to extend the Hawks margin.

There was thought he might have had an issue with his hamstring, Watson does the usual run-off post goal.

Orange tsunami falls apart at the last

That was nearly the play of the night from GWS!

They swept downfield in the old-style Orange Tsunami.

It went from player to player and the Hawks had no answer.

It fell to Max Gruzewski, who ran inside 50, steadied ... and missed the kick!

Bad miss that.

There's only five points in it, halfway through the quarter.

Poster for Phoenix Gothard for GWS

The Giants have been inside 50 13 times - they have eight scoring shots from them.

The latest of these is a poster from Phoenix Gothard.

GWS look dangerous every time they go forward, but they are struggling to generate enough forward flow.

If they get that right, they could be in this.

Concerns for Giants as Jack Ginnivan kicks goal, Lachie Ash looks injured

The Hawks didn't wait long to hit back against the Giants.

Jack Ginnivan kicked the goal to extend the lead, but the real headline came during the move, when Lachie Ash got his ankle caught under him in a contest.

He doesn't look right, but he's staying out there! For now, at least.

Giants end scrappy opening with goal to Toby Greene

This has been a pretty average start to the second term.

The non-rain dampness on the MCG is making everyone look like juniors out there. Not much clean use out there.

But the Giants get it inside 50, and there is a free called in favour of Max Gruzewski. However Toby Greene grabs the ball, and what do you think happens? Advantage paid, Toby sharks the goal that Gruzewski should have had 20m out.

The Giants close in to a point!

Giants handball game not clicking so far

Game is a bit messy. Giants handballing to each others feet and not to hands.

- Melza

Melza,

You're not wrong. The Giants have a 1 to 1 kick to handball ratio (52 kicks, 52 handballs), but only once have they managed to string them together in their normal way - that was for Lachie Ash's goal.

They'd want to start hitting their targets here.

Inside 50s: 17-7 Hawthorn Clearances: 14-6 Hawthorn Centre clearances: 3-2 Hawthorn Contested possessions: 40-35 Hawthorn Uncontested possessions: 66-49 GWS Marks inside 50: 1-1 Tackles: 21-17 Hawthorn

QT: Hawthorn 3.5 (23) leads GWS 2.4 (16)

A late 50m penalty to the Giants allows Toby Bedford to kick for goal for the visitors. He misses, and considering the way this quarter has gone, the seven-point margin flatters GWS. A lot.

Hawthorn has controlled this game, and they have made it incredibly difficult for GWS to set up attacks.

And yet, for all that dominance, they haven't made it really pay on the scoreboard.

The Giants might well fancy their chances here, on the grounds that it can't go quite that badly for them from here.

Hanging on to the ball not easy on a Friday night at the MCG

There's no rain falling at the MCG, and there doesn't seem to be much wind. But it's clearly not easy conditions for holding onto the ball.

The BOM app is saying there's 100 per cent humidity in Melbourne - that can't be right, but maybe there's some dew on the ground.

Whatever it is, plenty of players are fumbly out there.

Hawks miss another chance from stoppage

Hawthorn are dominating here in the opening term, and their stoppage work is causing all sorts of problems, particularly for Joe Fonti.

He started off on Nick Watson, but he's been generally under the pump so far.

He's just given away a holding free kick while waiting for another forward ball-up.

Cam McKenzie takes the kick, but his snap around the corner misses just to the right.

Hawks by nine points.