Adelaide: The spray came first. The response followed. And somewhere in between, Sam Mitchell may have learnt something new about his Hawthorn side.
Three-quarter-time at Adelaide Oval had the feel of a game potentially slipping. The previously unbeaten Western Bulldogs had slammed on the last three goals (plus two horror behinds) of the third term, turning a controlled Hawthorn performance into a livewire contest. Momentum had flipped. The energy had drained. The Hawks were vulnerable.
Mitchell didn’t sugarcoat it.
“That was pathetic… that last five minutes,” he barked, according to key forward Mitch Lewis. “If you want to keep playing like that, we’re going to lose this game. I don’t care if you’re tired – bring energy back into this game.”
It was blunt. It was cutting. And it worked.
Hawthorn didn’t just steady, they surged. The final quarter became a statement: a young side, blended with experience, reasserting itself against one of the competition’s early benchmarks this season. The result was a convincing win, built on composure under pressure and driven by a forward line spearheaded by Lewis, who finished with 18 disposals and three goals in one of the most meaningful performances of his career.
It wasn’t his biggest haul, but it was perhaps his most significant.
“I’ve worked bloody hard,” Lewis said post-match. “I’ve missed a lot of footy. So moments like tonight… the weight of it isn’t lost on me. There were some pretty dark times in rehab.”
That context matters. It elevates what might otherwise be just another solid night into something more substantial – a marker of resilience, patience and perspective.
Lewis’ journey back has been anything but linear. An ACL tear, layered with chronic knee pain, left him not just sidelined but uncertain. There were moments, he admits, where the game felt distant – where simply getting back to full health seemed the real win.
“One knee was pretty cooked there for a while,” he said. “Not just from the ACL. I had some chronic pain in there that we were able to get better. I don’t have any knee pain now… and to be pain-free and running around a footy field makes a difference.”
There’s a clarity in that kind of reflection. A stripping away of the noise that often surrounds elite sport – the expectations, the scrutiny, the rush to return. Lewis concedes he made that mistake once before, coming back at “80 per cent” and paying the price.
This time, the long road – a full 12 months – may have been the making of him.
“For the long term of my career it was a blessing in disguise,” he said. “You learn that it’s a privilege to even be out here playing.”
That sense of perspective translated into performance on Friday night. Lewis wasn’t just a target; he was a presence. Leading hard, competing aerially, bringing others into the game – the kind of all-round contribution that anchors a forward structure.
But this wasn’t a one-man show. Hawthorn’s win was as much about system and response as it was about individual brilliance.
Coming off a five-day break, the Hawks had circled the Bulldogs – the last undefeated side in the competition this season – as a measuring stick. The third-quarter wobble threatened to undo that intent. Instead, it revealed something more telling: their ability to respond.
“We wanted to stamp our authority on the competition,” Lewis said. “To be able to beat them… it’s great for our confidence.”
That confidence is built on a unique mix.
Hawthorn’s list is an intriguing blend – hardened leaders alongside a new wave of exuberant youth. Players like Jack Ginnivan and Nick Watson bring flair and personality, while the experienced co-captains Jai Newcombe and James Sicily provide structure and standards. It’s a balance that can sometimes feel fragile but, on this night, it clicked.
“We’ve got some characters,” Lewis said with a smile. “But Sam has built the foundation and the standards. So he can give a spray like that and it’s received well.”
That’s the key. The spray only works if the message lands. And it only lands if the group trusts the voice delivering it.
Hawthorn’s response suggested both are firmly in place.
The final term wasn’t frantic; it was controlled. The Hawks returned to their method, regained territory and reasserted scoreboard pressure. Hawthorn kicked five goals to two to run out comprehensive 40-point winners. The Bulldogs, for the first time this season, were made to look second-best.
It’s early – too early for definitive statements about September – but internally, Hawthorn aren’t shying away from ambition.
“We want to be a top-four team,” Lewis said. “We’re not hiding from that.”
Beating an unbeaten side, absorbing a momentum swing and responding with authority – these are the building blocks of genuine contenders.
For Lewis, it also serves as a personal checkpoint. A reminder that the darkest parts of his career weren’t an end point, but a detour.
He’s not all the way back – not yet. But he’s close enough to see it.
“Tonight was a real step in the right direction,” he said.
For Hawthorn, it might prove to be something more: the night their coach lit the fuse, and the team showed it could fire.
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Sam McClure is an award-winning AFL journalist and broadcaster.Connect via X or email.
