Hawthorn held off Adelaide by nine points at UTAS Stadium on Thursday night in the Round 11 opener, 10.15 (75) to 9.12 (66). Blake Hardwick, pushed up forward in a tactical move that Sam Mitchell trialled at training this week, finished with four goals. The Crows fought back through the third quarter and got within striking distance late, but the Hawks' lead-up work and Hardwick's marking inside 50 held them at arm's length. The Hawks' winning streak in Launceston now reads 12 games. The result lifts Hawthorn to 5-1-5 with the draw against Collingwood in Round 10. Adelaide slip to 6-5, hovering on the edge of the eight on percentage with eight rounds to play.
Hardwick Up Forward, Mabior Chol Returns
Hardwick's four goals were the headline. The defender, who has spent most of his career down back, was shifted up forward by Sam Mitchell as a tactical lever and took marks at key moments through the second and third quarters. Mabior Chol, recalled this week with the Hawks' team news shake-up, returned with a goal and held a strong marking presence. Connor Nash and Bailey McDonald were tidy through the middle. The Hawthorn midfield controlled the centre square contest in the third quarter when the game was on the line. Adelaide's forwards Darcy Fogarty and Riley Thilthorpe both kicked, with Thilthorpe returning from the back complaint that ruled him out of the Round 10 demolition of North Melbourne, but neither got the supply that the Crows' midfield typically provides.
The Tasmania Conversation Returns to the Surface
Two days before the game, the AFL confirmed to Hawthorn that the club's association with Tasmania will conclude at the end of 2027, in line with the Tasmania Devils' 2028 entry into the competition. The Hawks have played at the Launceston ground since 2001 and the side's record in the venue, 12 wins from the last 12 starts, is among the strongest home-ground streaks in the competition. The 2027 cut-off closes a partnership that ran across multiple Hawthorn premiership eras and built the strongest interstate home-ground record in the modern AFL. Mitchell told the press conference the news will be processed in due course and that the Hawks intend to make the next two years count. The Devils enter the AFL in 2028, two years after the Round 4 announcement that confirmed the team name and jumper.
Where the Markets Land
Adelaide opened around $1.45 head-to-head with the line at -10.5. Both numbers held into the gates but the result spat the favourite back at the books, with anyone holding Hawks $2.80 or Hawks +10.5 collecting on the Hardwick forward switch. Top-eight markets shorten on Hawthorn, with our reviewed bookmakers dabble, Ladbrokes and bet365 now reflecting the Hawks at 5-1-5 with form. Adelaide drift in finals price but stay in contention. Round 11 rolls on tonight at the MCG with Richmond v Essendon in the Dreamtime fixture, then Saturday's Pendlebury record game at the MCG against West Coast, Geelong v Sydney at GMHBA at 4:15pm, and Port v Carlton at Adelaide Oval. The Crows host the Saints next Saturday afternoon. Full Round 11 fixtures and Hawks-Crows match wrap via AFL.com.au.