Hawthorn has edged out a persistent West Coast in scrappy wet weather conditions at the MCG.
It is the sixth win under coach Sam Mitchell in his debut season and one that showed character in holding off an Eagles side with nothing to lose, ending in a 102-77 final score line.
Luke Breust dominated the first half with four goals and finished with six on top of his 15 touches.
It was a game of momentum as both sides seemed to hold sway at different times of the contest.
Rain fell in the third term and resulted in a clear drop in execution as the game turned into a scrap, much different to the fast-paced and high-scoring first half.
The Hawks got to a 20-point buffer early in the last after a controversial free-kick against Tim Kelly which gifted Breust his fifth of the game but kept their hopes alive shortly after through a Jamie Cripps goal.
However, the buffer proved too much as the Hawks fended off any late charges to secure the win in their last home game at the MCG for 2022.
Tim Kelly (one goal, 21 disposals) copped a cork to his right quad and struggled to get moving while Josh Morris (11 touches) was kneed in the lower back and was in visible pain coming to the bench. Both players managed to play out the remainder of the game.
Familiar faces starred for the Hawks, with Dylan Moore (one goal, 25 touches), Tom Mitchell (32 disposals, six score involvements), James Sicily (24 disposals, six marks) and Jai Newcombe (28 disposals, four marks) impressing, while Josh Ward had a stand-out game collecting 34 possessions alongside seven marks, five tackles and six clearances.
Jai Culley on debut laid 11 tackles and seemed to fit in at the highest level despite only collecting 12 disposals.
Tom Barrass (30 disposals at 93 per cent efficiency) proved his worth in defence with his commanding presence culminating in an incredibly brave mark going back with the flight, one of his career-high 18 grabs.
Luke Shuey (two goals, 10 tackles), Alex Witherden (23 touches, eight marks) and veteran Shannon Hurn (27 disposals, nine marks) were pivotal alongside Andrew Gaff (30 touches, four inside 50s) who provided excellent outside run.
Despite the loss, the Eagles can hold their head high with 80 tackles compared to the Hawks’ 48, emblematic of their heart-on-the-sleeve performance.
Hawthorn will look to make it three on the trot against a revived North Melbourne side at Blundstone Arena next round while West Coast host a severely out-of-form St Kilda at home in a game they will go into full of confidence.
FULL SCORE
Hawthorn: 2.3, 9.3, 11.7, 15.12 (102)
West Coast: 4.2, 7.3, 9.5, 12.5 (77)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Breust 6, Day 2, MacDonald 2, Impey, Moore, Reeves, Scrimshaw, McEvoy
West Coast: Waterman 3, Kennedy 2, Shuey 2, Darling 2, Ryan, Kelly, Cripps
BEST
Hawthorn: D Moore, J Ward, L Breust, J Newcombe, J Sicily, J Scrimshaw
West Coast: T Barrass, L Shuey, S Hurn, A Witherden, A Gaff
INJURIES
Hawthorn: n/a
West Coast: Tim Kelly (corked quad), Callum Jamieson (quad)