Hawthorn's post-Alastair Clarkson era is off to a winning start with the Hawks surging past North Melbourne by 20 points in an error-riddled AFL contest at the MCG.
In a battle between teams expected to struggle in 2022, the Hawks reeled in a 21-point deficit on Sunday to give new boss Sam Mitchell an ideal start to his head coaching career.
Despite being outclassed in the midfield, Hawthorn were able to gain a serious advantage up forward in the round one match.
Hawks forward Mitch Lewis had arguably the best outing of his 37-game career, booting three vital goals as the Hawks prevailed 11.12 (78) to 8.10 (58).
Lewis brought down some big contested marks and converted his set shots to give Hawthorn faithful hope he can be the power forward the club has been crying out for since their golden era in the early 2010s.
North were already under-sized down back after the departure of Robbie Tarrant during the off-season but things became dire when key defender Ben McKay was subbed out of the game with concussion in the first term.
Kangaroos captain Jack Ziebell was caught out having to play on Lewis and fellow key Hawks forward Jack Gunston (three goals), who made an encouraging return after his 2021 season was ruined by back issues.
"I was really proud of the boys effort and I thought the effort and intensity around the ball for the whole game was really strong," Mitchell said.
We didn't get as much reward for effort as we would have liked for a lot of the game, but they really deserved the win for the amount of effort we put in."
The Hawks also had to use their medical sub, bringing on wingman Tom Phillips for Max Lynch after the ruckman suffered a head knock in the second quarter.
North's hyped No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis showed promise on debut, highlighted by kicking an exciting goal during the second term when all Kangaroos players ran to congratulate him.
"A little bit (disappointed in the result) but I was really encouraged after getting 21 points in front," North coach David Noble said.
"If we were a little bit cleaner with the ball, we might have been able to stretch that out, but we've got to be careful and balanced in how we approach the review."
Chad Wingard, who was allowed to wear long sleeves for the first time in his four years at Hawthorn, made up for a quiet first three quarters to step up in the final term with two crucial goals.
Hawthorn will hit the road next weekend to face a wounded Port Adelaide, while the Kangaroos will host West Coast at Marvel Stadium in round two.
