Donnybrook undone by tireless Hawks

Red-hot Augusta-Margaret River thrashed Donnybrook by 70 points at VC Mitchell Park on Saturday.

Aside from a brief third-quarter lapse during their 14.12 (96) to 4.2 (26) win, this game was played almost entirely on the Hawks’ terms.

Along with having 11 individual goalkickers, Matt Jamieson’s side also kicked four goals during “red time” — a testament to their ability of finishing off with plenty of run.

Upon every Dons turnover, the sheer ferocity in which the Hawks players ran down the ground into their forward line was nothing short of incredible.

This created quality ball delivery and a handy half-time lead for the visitors. In the Donnybrook camp, only Jace Cormack appeared capable of generating a spark for his side.

In the third quarter, the Hawks momentarily went off the boil, racking up 11 turnovers in space. The momentum from this appeared to galvanise the Dons, who booted three goals towards the back end of the term.

Jamieson was livid with the forgettable segments of play — and at three-quarter-time told his men in no uncertain terms that he wanted them to return to their first-half exploits.

But the Hawks coach did not have to wait long for a swift response, with classy defender Jackson Lavell-Lee kicking two goals in as many minutes early in the final term to put his side back in the driver’s seat.

Although the margin and even spread of goal kickers are likely to be the first things people look at when reviewing this game, there was one major element they will not see.

Even when his side was up by more than 10 goals, Hawks onballer Regan Smith played as though his life depended on it. His smothers, tackles and pressure acts were inspiring to watch.