Retiring Hawthorn veteran Luke Hodge bid farewell to Tasmania in style in a 27-point AFL win over North Melbourne in Launceston on Sunday.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Hawthorn Hawks 18.8.116
North Melbourne Kangaroos 14.5.89
It’s a battle for the hearts and minds of Tasmanian AFL fans today when the Hawthorn Hawks host the North Melbourne Kangaroos in Launceston on Sunday afternoon. Join The Roar for live scores from the match, starting from 3:20pm AEST.
What does this match mean in the grand scheme of things? If we’re being completely honest, not very much, given that both teams are effectively out of the finals race.
Hawthorn could still theoretically make it in if they won every match they have left and got really quite lucky with the other results.
They close out the year by playing Carlton and the Bulldogs after this game, so winning every match they have left is by no means impossible.
But, they would be looking for a genuine miracle in terms of other results going their way. We could look at it further, but it involves far too much math for that to be at all enjoyable. It’s a thousand-to-one odds and unfortunately for the Hawks, this isn’t an inspirational movie, it’s just real life.
North Melbourne on the other hand not only will miss finals but are destined to finish in the bottom four unless they somehow win all three of their remaining matches, and that’s not happening either.
So, in the end, this match is more about looking forwards to 2018 and neither fanbase is going to be too cut up if they don’t get the four points.
Hawthorn have been in pretty good form lately, as opposed to North Melbourne, who have only won a single game since Round 10.
The Hawks also don’t have to give any kind of consideration to their ladder finish, having already given up their first round draft pick this year – if anything, they’ll look less silly for doing so the more they win along the way.
Prediction
Hawthorn Hawks by 36 points.
Join The Roar for live scores from the match, starting from 3:20pm AEST.
Birdman
Guest
v, long shot but Hawks still mathematically alive
Birdman
Guest
Workman like effort by the Hawks who couldn't seem to completely shake the Roos who battled it out. Now hoping for Port to turn up bigtime against the Pies.
Josh
Expert
Wasn't too bad in the end!
Josh
Expert
That's the end of that one, folks - Hawthorn with a 27-point win.
Josh
Expert
BEHIND HAWTHORN Tom Mitchell adds a behind in the last minute. HAWTHORN 18.8.116 NORTH MELBOURNE 14.5.89
Josh
Expert
GOAL HAWTHORN Luke Breust kicks his fourth goal of the day, and you could call that a sealer, not that the Hawks needed one. HAWTHORN 18.7.115 NORTH MELBOURNE 14.5.89
Josh
Expert
GOAL NORTH MELBOURNE Luke McDonald goals for North, the margin's back to 20 but there's only three minutes left on the clock. HAWTHORN 17.7.109 NORTH MELBOURNE 14.5.89
Josh
Expert
Nice mark up forward from Tim O'Brien... but the set shot misses everything. HAWTHORN 17.6.108 NORTH MELBOURNE 13.4.82
Josh
Expert
BEHIND HAWTHORN Ryan Schoenmakers adds a behind for the Hawks. HAWTHORN 17.6.108 NORTH MELBOURNE 13.4.82
Josh
Expert
GOAL HAWTHORN Quick clearance, kick to Shaun Burgoyne, and he goals. You wouldn't know North were present on field watching that passage of play. HAWTHORN 17.5.107 NORTH MELBOURNE 13.4.82
Josh
Expert
GOAL NORTH MELBOURNE Cameron Zurhaar adds his second goal of the day, and the margin is back to 19 points. HAWTHORN 16.5.101 NORTH MELBOURNE 13.4.82
Cat
Roar Guru
May as well pull the pin, season over for both these clubs in two more weeks.
Josh
Expert
GOAL HAWTHORN After seven minutes without a goal the Hawks open the scoring in this final term, Jarryd Roughead kicking his third. HAWTHORN 16.5.101 NORTH MELBOURNE 12.4.76
Swannies
Guest
Hawks have gone to sleep. They should really win this by 10 goals.
Josh
Expert
Bit of a push from his opponent and Scotty Thompson winds up on the other side of the fence with his legs in the air! He's okay.
Josh
Expert
Final term underway.
Josh
Expert
Not going to lie, I enjoyed that - five straight goals from North to close out the quarter, taking it from a 50-point margin to 19. You'd expect that's still enough to get Hawthorn the win, but Roos fans will live in hope.
Josh
Expert
3-QUARTER TIME HAWTHORN 15.5.95 NORTH MELBOURNE 12.4.76
Josh
Expert
GOAL NORTH MELBOURNE With only a few seconds left on the clock, Declan Mountford has a set shot and kicks North's fifth goal in a row. HAWTHORN 15.5.95 NORTH MELBOURNE 12.4.76
Josh
Expert
GOAL NORTH MELBOURNE Taylor Garner pops through his second goal of the quarter, and the margin is at 25 points. HAWTHORN 15.5.95 NORTH MELBOURNE 11.4.70