Hawthorn Hawks v Adelaide Crows; West Coast Eagles v St Kilda Saints; Geelong Cats v Richmond Tigers scores, results, fixtures, teams, tips, games, how to watch

There was no Hawk who didn’t turn to Jack Gunston when the veteran forward celebrated his 250th game with a goal in the first term as the Hawks came out of the blocks to take control.

Coach Sam Mitchell said he used Gunston’s milestone, rather than the club’s 10th anniversary celebration in 2014, as extra motivation on this sunny afternoon at the MCG.

That Gunston scored a goal from 50 yards after a buzzing pass from Will Day added to the fervor the Hawks started with, their pressure in their own half being noted.

After early misses from Jack Ginnivan and Calsher Dear, returning ruckman Ned Reeves made an immediate impact with a heavy tackle on Jake Soligo, with the referee adopting the updated interpretation and quickly awarding a holding call.

Young defender Josh Weddle went for Taylor Walker, while skipper James Sicily had the job for Ben Keays, with the Hawks also coming back well from defense through Jarman Impey and Jack Scrimshaw.

There was speculation before the game that Jordan Dawson would be a late withdrawal, with the Crows captain struggling with a foot problem. Crows coach Matthew Nicks Solon confirmed Dawson would play, but the tough midfielder had just four touches by quarter time.

The Hawks were aggressive in moving the ball, with Dylan Moore pouncing on a loose ball across the back of the pack to run into an open goal. When Ginnivan ripped a classy goal from the left pocket forward nearly 22 minutes into the term, the Hawks were in complete control.

The Crows pulled two late goals back, the first after the referees ruled that Seamus Mitchell had failed to take the earlier opportunity to clear the ball, the Crows’ forward pocket free kick to Lachlan Murphy giving the visitors the opening goal.

But in the blink of an eye Blake Hardwick, who started at forward, responded with his first goal.