This was the win that Hawthorn had to scrounge for their AFL premiership defence and the loss that could haunt Port Adelaide in two months.

The Hawks coped with hail, lightning and spirited opposition from North Melbourne on Sunday to win by nine points in Launceston.

Port’s shocking inconsistency cost them again as Melbourne won two-straight for the first time since midway through the 2007 season.

The results left Port and Hawthorn equal-ninth on the ladder, one game behind Carlton and Essendon.

Should Port miss the finals, this could prove a critical hiccup.

Late on Sunday, St Kilda stayed unbeaten when they overran West Coast at the start of the last quarter at Subiaco to win 13.12 (90) to 11.4 (70).

The Hawks kicked the last two goals of the Launceston game to win by nine points and coach Alastair Clarkson hopes the 10.13 (73) to 9.10 (64) success sparks his team.

“It was a real, great gutsy come-from-behind victory that will hopefully pick up the spirits of the players around the club and hopefully we move forward with the Magpies next week,” Clarkson said.

Lance Franklin kicked four goals, but he is also on report for rough conduct.

At the MCG, Melbourne upset the Power by 11 points on the same day that club legend Jim Stynes was released from hospital after cancer surgery.

Port coach Mark Williams was struggling to stay positive after the 15.11 (101) to 13.12 (90) result that lifted the Demons off the bottom of the ladder.

“It makes it more difficult, but there’s seven games to go, five of them are at home,” Williams said.

“It’s really emotionally draining today, you can imagine, I’m not my zippy self.”

At Subiaco, the Saints struggled for three quarters before breaking clear of the Eagles for a 20-point win.

St Kilda at times looked like they were struggling a week after the epic six-point win over Geelong.

Certainly the Cats suffered ill-effects from the Saints clash as they lost to Brisbane on Saturday night by 33 points.

It was the first time since early 2007 that the Cats had lost two-straight and they were missing nearly a third of their side through injury for the 16.12 (108) to 9.11 (65) result.

Adding to the Cats’ mid-season troubles, Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel is on report for rough conduct.

The Lions also lost Jed Adcock for the rest of the season with an upcoming knee reconstruction, but they are well-placed in sixth spot.

Adelaide prepared for next Sunday’s blockbuster against the Saints by slaughtering Fremantle, who are now bottom.

The 19.16 (130) to 1.7 (13) scoreline equalled Fremantle’s biggest loss of 117 points and it was their lowest score.

The Crows joined Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs on equal-third place with 10 wins.

Essendon and Carlton moved a game clear of Port and Hawthorn by winning on Saturday.

The Bombers had a rare away win when they beat Sydney by 35 points and the 15.17 (107) to 10.12 (72) result confirmed the Swans will miss the finals for the first time since 2002.

Brendan Fevola kicked a career-best nine goals and led the Blues to a 20-point win over Richmond, 16.13 (109) to 12.17 (89).

Round 15 started with a ripping duel on Friday night, as Collingwood first bounced the Bulldogs and then held off their strong last quarter to win by one point, 17.9 (111) to 16.14 (110).

Snapshot for round 15 in the AFL:

THEY SAID IT: “You will probably write about who wasn’t there as opposed to what we actually did – do you want me to say anything outside of that?” – Brisbane coach MICHAEL VOSS challenges the media to focus on his team’s win, rather than Geelong’s long injury list.

MAGIC MOMENT: Okay, Leon Davis’ mark should have been out on the full, but his subsequent snapped goal capped an outstanding passage of play from one end of the ground to the other during the third quarter on Friday night. Collingwood beat the Western Bulldogs by a point in an epic game.

MAN OF THE ROUND: Carlton full-forward Brendan Fevola recovers from a poor start to kick nine goals in the win over Richmond, a career-best haul for him.

STATS THAT MATTER: 1.7, Fremantle’s lowest score since they joined the AFL in 1995. 117 points – equalled their greatest losing margin. Adelaide’s 19.16 (130) to 1.7 (13) win boosted their percentage from 102.9 to 112.45.

TALKING POINT – How much has the last fortnight taken out of St Kilda?

KEY INJURIES – J Adcock (Bris, knee), D Bell (Melb, shoulder), S Hampson (Carl, shoulder), G Ablett (Geel, calf), M Scarlett (Geel, back), D Milburn (Geel, ankle), C Ling (Geel, knee), J Kelly (Geel, hamstring), A Mackie (Geel, thigh), D Cox (WC, leg), M LeCras (WC, shoulder).

REPORTS – J Bartel (Geel, rough conduct), L Franklin (Haw, rough conduct).

UNDER PRESSURE THIS WEEK – Port Adelaide just cannot string wins together and they must beat West Coast on Sunday to stay in touch with the top eight.

© AAP 2012

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