Sam Mitchell has hailed his side's growing resilience as Hawthorn took a step towards stamping themselves as genuine heavyweights in a hard-fought 20-point win over Sydney in the AFL season opener.
The 'Hollywood Hawks' got down and dirty as they kicked off their campaign in impressive fashion with the 14.12 (96) to 11.10 (76) victory over last year's beaten grand finalists at the SCG on Friday night.
Will Day was a dominant figure with 19 disposals and three goals in the first half before the Hawks kicked 25 points clear late in the second term, showcasing the flair that made them last year's great entertainers.
But the gun midfielder was limited by cramp and stopper James Jordon after the main break, when Hawthorn were forced to grit their teeth and hold off a surging Swans fightback.
Both sides enjoyed four-goal runs as momentum swung in an entertaining contest, which became an arm wrestle when heavy rain fell during the second half.
Hawks skipper James Sicily (20 disposals, eight marks) was brilliant in defence to start with and influential again when swung forward late, kicking the sealer in a three-goals-to-none final term.
Dylan Moore (two goals), Jack Scrimshaw (18 disposals), Jai Newcombe (19 touches) and ruckman Lloyd Meek (six clearances, two goals) were also influential, while big-name recruits Tom Barrass and Josh Battle made strong starts in a beefed-up defensive unit.
The only concern for Hawthorn was a right ankle injury to James Worpel just before halftime, which led to the midfielder's substitution.
"There were some really good performances tonight," Mitchell said.
"I thought the team handled the pressure of the game and the consistency of the pressure of the game.
"The game looked intense the whole time and I think the fact that we handled that, there's a little bit of validation there."
Sydney, who had stewed on last year's grand final agony all summer, missed injured stars Errol Gulden and Callum Mills in their first game under new coach Dean Cox.
Chad Warner (21 disposals, two goals), Nick Blakey (26, one), Matt Roberts (26 possessions) and Isaac Heeney (21 touches, 10 clearances) worked hard in a losing cause.
Sam Wicks was superb in his new defensive role on Nick Watson, while remodelled forward Tom McCartin kicked one goal from just seven touches.
Taylor Adams went off with a hamstring injury late in the match.
Cox lamented Sydney's poor decision-making and inability to take advantage of opportunities with the game on the line early in the final term.
"To come back in the third quarter and get to a position in the last quarter and then let it slide the way we did was disappointing," Cox said.
"A little bit sour, but there's still a lot of things that we need to improve on. We know that.
"With some young kids in our team, we need to develop them."
Hawthorn take on Essendon in another Friday night blockbuster next week, while Sydney host the Brisbane Lions in their first meeting since last year's grand final.
