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Dear JVK Elwood poet writing to Director, AFL Umpiring Association.... Hawkers brave, valiant even, coming home like a train, we were held up by ten points. Some young guys played magnificent (Piccione, Johnson, Thompson). Dutchy Holland got crunched earlyish, The Big Fish (Paul Salmon) has played his last game of long career (100 with Hawkers). Melissa Ryan's Age Piece continues below:- "the Hawks, having started its charge in the third term, exploded with six goals in the last term to resurrect its own fight time and again. And always when it seemed the Roos had safely tucked them away. But in the end, the final siren blew goodbye to a valiant Hawthorn, the Roos triumphing by 10 points. It was an intense close to what was a particularly demanding second half, Hawk defender Jade Rawlings snapping Hawthorn's sixth goal of the last term in the goal square to bring the Hawks within nine points, the smallest it had ground the margin down to, with less than three minutes remaining. And it seemed as if Hawthorn could have conjured something miraculous, as Joel Smith charged down the outer wing. But he was crunchingly halted by a desperate tackle from Corey McKernan, the Roos able to bottle up play. It was taken forward by Martin Pike, where Brent Harvey missed for a point, but used up another precious commodity, time. It was a dramatic term of run-ons, as aerialist Nick Holland reduced the last-change deficit from 22points to only 16 with the opening goal, signalling the fight was on. But when the Kangaroos piled on the next three goals - McKernan from a John Barker turnover, Shannon Grant for his fourth of the night, and Wayne Carey - the buffer was once again 35points, the match seemingly sewn up. Hawthorn, which had found it difficult to string successive goals in reply to the Roos, suddenly found the formula. Trent Croad had shifted forward for two quick goals, while captain Shane Crawford, waiting in the goal square added his second for the match. When Winston Abraham supplied the steadier, Daniel Chick attempted to win it off his own boot, first with a goal, then another devastatingly brushed aside by Jason McCartney for a rushed behind. The renewed vigor of the Hawks burst through in the third quarter, as the attempt to reel in the Roos' lead moved beyond blundering attacks to transform into real threat. While Holland continued his marking for his second goal to open the term, and Barker and Daniel Harford combined, the Roos had answered through Stuart Cochrane - from a Barry Young turnover - and Carey. The pounding run of Chick, who had used his body all night to win his possessions, along with Harford and Tony Woods, had kept the supply flowing, while Glen Bowyer continued with some sharp offerings. By half-time, the Kangaroos had rolled to an ominous 34-point lead, ending the first half with momentum, skill and luck clearly on their side, as the Hawks floundered haplessly. The Roos' intentions to overshadow the 125-point annihilation from Essendon crystallised into action from the first bounce, as the pattern for the night was quickly set when Peter Bell kicked the first goal, ultimately able to do so from a shaky Croad handpass resulting in a turnover. Although the Hawks seemed to have the immediate reply when Harford launched a booming kick, the body slam of Pike to touch the ball and render only a point. Luck simply was not on Hawthorn's side at the goalmouth as the Roo defenders guarded it with a focus worthy of any soccer goalkeeper in the first term - Chick's bomb bounced straight up instead of through the goals, while Ben Dixon's rakish snap was disallowed when a free was awarded to an opponent. Meanwhile, with Matthew Burton galloping about and turning an injury-hampered Paul Salmon inside out, Byron Pickett dancing out of defence with John Blakey ever reliable, and the opportunistic Shannon Grant capitalising in space left to him, the Roos had kicked the first five goals before Hawthorn could reply through Salmon." LOOK OUT IN 2001, HAWKERS BACK IN TOWN! Hugh Tolhurst %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%