In an enthralling Friday night contest at UTAS Stadium, the Hawks claimed a massive scalp, beating top four aspirant Adelaide in a low-scoring contest by three points in the first night game in Launceston during Hawthorn's 25-year tenure.
The 44-point score of the Hawks was the lowest they had recorded in a win since 1948, while the combined total of 85 points was surprising given the Crows had been one of the most proficient attacking teams in the competition this year.
Missing a host of senior players, including skipper James Sicily, Will Day and James Worpel, the Hawks started slowly with the Crows gaining the ascendancy, kicking the only two goals of the first quarter to take a 13-point lead in tricky conditions.
With slippery conditions underfoot and the ball difficult to handle due to the cold conditions, the Crows had all the run during the second quarter, but were unable to put points on the board, with the Hawks' backline holding up well against the Crows' impressive forward line.
After half-time, the Hawks gained momentum but struggled to convert in front of goal, letting many opportunities go missing and allowing the Crows to hold a slender four-point lead going into the last break.
A see-sawing last quarter saw the Hawks take the lead, before an Izak Rankine snap put the Crows in front as the pressure and intensity lifted.
After a controversial free kick for insufficient intent to keep the ball in play, the Hawks bombed it forward, with a Mabior Chol tap and a quick Jack Gunston handball leading to a goal by Jai Newcombe that had the sell-out crowd in Launceston on their feet.
The Hawks, who were in front for just over eight minutes throughout the whole match, held strong through the last two minutes of play, holding on to a memorable victory that will be a confidence booster for the team as they head into their mid-season bye.
The Hawks were well led by acting captain Dylan Moore, who has had a fantastic past fortnight in the absence of regular skipper Sicily.
Moore rolled through the midfield to assist the Hawks, who were struggling without the presence of important ball winner Worpel.
The skipper had 23 touches, five score involvements and three clearances, but, more importantly, 13 tackles, as the Hawks brought the tackling pressure that had been missing in previous key clashes against the Lions and Magpies.
Despite only recording nine tackles during the first quarter, the Hawks made amends in this area over the next three terms, recording 79 tackles for the game, with Sam Butler having some crucial tackles in the last quarter as the Hawks surged towards an unlikely win.
Despite the attacking threat of the Crows' forward line, the Hawks were well served by their defenders, led by new recruits Tom Barrass and Josh Battle, who kept the Crows' to five goals from 59 forward 50 entries and only three marks inside 50.
Going into the match, the key trio of Riley Thilthorpe, Darcy Fogarty and Taylor Walker had combined to kick 76 goals for the season, but were held goalless last night as Barrass, Battle and Josh Weddle held up under the constant pressure of the forward 50 entries.
Barrass and Battle were recruited to Hawthorn to shore up their backline against powerful monster forwards and last night proved that the club's recruitment of them might be a masterstroke come the end of the season.
Veteran Gunston continues to be a pivotal player in the Hawthorn forward line, with his ability to bring others into the game while being a constant threat a standout.
Gunston, 33, had 12 touches in the game, with a game high eight score involvements and two goals himself, as well as a critical handball that led to the match-winning goal.
In the tense last quarter, two often maligned Hawks stood up with big moments that helped to keep the Crows at bay.
Winger Harry Morrison won a two-on-one contest on the wing, beating two Adelaide players to take a relieving mark as the Hawks tried to clear the ball from defence and give their side a reprieve from the attacking threat of the Crows.
With less than a minute on the clock, Chol had a huge moment in a marking contest that stopped a potential final Adelaide raid into the forward 50 off a fast break.
The tall forward, who kicked a telling goal in the third quarter, sprinted 40 metres to get a spoil into a marking contest and stopped an easy rebound 50 as the Crows had players out and ready to carry the ball into the forward 50 for one last attacking array.
The Hawks, who now sit just outside the top four on percentage with a 9-5 record, head into their mid-season bye buoyed by two impressive wins over the last fortnight against premiership contenders the Western Bulldogs and the Adelaide Crows.
Hawthorn will look to welcome back valuable players after the bye to help launch their push for a top four berth heading into the 2025 finals series.
