An AFL record of 11 50m penalties were awarded - including nine in the first 50 minutes of the contest - among 54 free kicks awarded for the afternoon.

Tom Mitchell’s two goals both came from 50m penalties, while both of the Hawks’ last-term majors came from subjective free kicks. 

“I’ve got a pretty big job as it is on game day to make sure I’m coaching Port Adelaide - I would suggest there’s some coaching that needs to be done on some other areas in that game today too,” Hinkley said.

“That’s the way it goes, it’s a tough gig whether you’re playing it or umpiring it or coaching it.

“You look at some of the stuff that went on there… it’s a hard game, it’s a tough game to umpire… we’ll review closely as a side as we should and I’m sure everyone else does.”

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Hinkley’s charges appeared to control the midfield for much of the game but could not convert their dominance on the scoreboard.

Mitchell played a lone hand for the Hawks’ midfield in the first half with 21 touches, seven marks and four tackles, but was held to just six second-half disposals by Brisbane recruit Tom Rockliff.

“I thought Rockliff did a really strong job on him.

“He’s a great player Tom, he’s been fantastic but he did some damage too, he hit the scoreboard. 

“It doesn’t give you much joy to restrict him in the second half when they were still able to win the game.”

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson cut a measured figure after the game, saying he was pleased to win after a “scratchy month” but acknowledged his side still had work to do.

Clarkson bemoaned the Hawks’ inability to kick a big score in the lead-up to the match and faced the same problems against Port Adelaide.

The home side dominated the inside-50 count 58-39, yet could only fashion three more scoring shots than its opposition.

In the first term especially the Hawks appeared to have few options in the forward 50 other than to bomb it long to the height of Ben McEvoy and Jonathan Ceglar.  

“That needs to improve for us because nine goals in a game of footy isn’t going to win you very many games,” Clarkson said.

“It didn’t win us the game last week against West Coast – we kicked nine and they kicked 11 - but fortunately today nine was enough, but only just.

“We’ll continue to work on it but the most pleasing thing for us today was that we came up against a pretty strong opponent that have been in pretty good form and they’ve got great aspirations to challenge at the pointy end of the year, and to beat that type of opponent today is pretty important to us.

“Had we gone 5-6 your season’s not over but it becomes enormously tough, we’d probably fall two games shy of the teams that are in the eight and it’s pretty hard pegging that back in the second half of the year.

“But we’re not dead by a long way.”

The Hawks enter the bye at 6-5 with 14 days’ break until a home clash with Adelaide.

The Power sit percentage only above the Hawks with a game in hand.