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.
Speed
Powering through a pack and accelerating away from traffic are significant assets for modern midfielders.
But rather than relying on breakneck speed, the Hawks' midfield is mostly anchored by stoppage bulls who use their physical strength to win clearances.
Does it leave them vulnerable to midfields with toe?
At their best, the Hawks rely on their pressure, tackle efficiency and intent which leads to one of three outcomes: a free kick, repeat stoppage or rushed kick, enabling Hawthorn's interceptors to come into play. Repeat stoppages also suit the Hawks given the aforementioned dominance of their rucks.
Hawthorn rank in the top four for tackles and causing turnovers, attributable to them not affording opponents time and space with the footy.
Despite external perception about the midfield, MacKay dismissed any concerns about athleticism.
“I'm really bullish about our capacity in terms of running and I think we have a good balance, particularly with Will back and when Conor Nash gets back, our running and speed profile, I think we're pretty sharp in there,” MacKay said.
“It's something we've worked on and trained right from Day 1 of pre-season, we've worked hard on building that dynamic side of our game.
“There's challenges every week. This week we have the Giants who have good runners and speed but it's not an area I'm concerned about, we've got players who provide different things and speed and run is certainly one of them.”
