Lloyd Meek down to Jai Newcombe, who exploded out the front of stoppage and sent it deep to Mitch Lewis. Lewis created a predictable drop for the dynamic Connor MacDonald, who snapped Hawthorn's third goal in three minutes early in the last quarter last weekend.
It was arguably the match-winner, sapping Gold Coast and extending the margin to 25 points.
Hawthorn scored 32 points from centre stoppages against the Suns after concerning signs at centre stoppages in the weeks leading into the bye.
“We've worked on centre bounce for a considerable part of the year and we're starting to see change in there which has been positive,” Hawthorn midfield coach David Mackay told Zero Hanger.
“We'll keep going after it. You have to continually be giving yourself the best opportunity in there and all the craft you do around that specific part of the game tells over a period of time.”
Earlier in the season, the Hawks fell away significantly late in the game against Fremantle, did not capitalise on their clearances in a close loss to Western Bulldogs and started terribly in that area against Adelaide
Will Day's return has been timely, with Hawthorn winning just one of the four games prior to his return, and he provided a reminder of his talent last Friday night and looks primed for a big finish to the season after his shoulder injury.
Skipper Jai Newcombe has reinforced his credentials as a bona fide on-baller in 2026.
But whether the club has a strong and deep enough midfield around that pair to go all the way in 2026 has been a point of contention since images of an exasperated Tom Petroro emerged from Marvel Stadium at the end of the 2025 AFL Trade Period as it became clear his client, Zach Merrett, would not be a Hawk this year.
“I won't be getting into individual players but what I do now is our list management has been pretty open about trying to improve our list…we're going to try and do that at season's end,” Mitchell said on Channel 7's Agenda Setters on Monday.
Be that as it may, it won't help them hoist a 14th flag in 2026, putting the onus on the young midfielders to step up and assist Newcombe and Day.
Style
Led by James Sicily, who is potentially on track for an All Australian blazer, the currently hamstrung Jarman Impey and Tom Barrass, Hawthorn is the best intercept marking team in the competition, averaging 15.8 per game.
From there, they have the capacity to use their precise ball users and dynamic speed to move the ball forward directly, behind only Sydney for scoring from their defensive half and scoring from turnover.
Jack Ginnivan's footy smarts and Massimo D'Ambrosio's ball use, which is among the best in the competition, are among the staples of Hawthorn consistently transitioning the ball from defensive 50 into advantageous positions for their marking forwards.
Hawthorn wins more offensive one-on-ones than any team in the competition and if they aren't taking contested marks, Nick Watson is likely making something happen at their feet.
Their ability to chain possession so their forwards are getting optimal looks and are able to catch teams out has underpinned a strong start to the year.
The Hawks sit second in the competition for scoring from turnover, which, in the absence of regular centre bounce scores, has been an important part of their offensive punch this year.
“Ball movement wise, we've engrained our style and philosophies over a number of years so there is confidence in it and being tested by different teams and how they defend is something we will keep chipping away at," MacKay said.
