Hawthorn host West Coast in AFL at Launceston's UTAS Stadium

A seven-goal opening quarter set the tone for a comfortable 22.10 (142) to 4.2 (26) victory with Mitch Lewis kicking six goals in front of 9135 spectators.

The Eagles' miserable day was hardly cheered up by the news that they had recorded the venue's lowest ever score, eclipsing the 3.12 (30) managed by the Western Bulldogs in atrocious conditions against St Kilda in August 2003.

Adam Simpson's men failed to kick a goal in the second half.

A meeting of the league's bottom two teams which clashed with Tasmania's biggest annual sporting event on a chilly day in a ground with no roof was always going to challenge fans' dedication.

But a half-decent crowd turned out to enjoy some afternoon sunshine and an entertaining spectacle which Hawthorn always had in their control.

If Saturday was Dreamtime at the G, Sunday was Snoozetime at the U as the Hawks cruised home.

It was almost enough to make James Sicily want to live in Tasmania.

And it certainly left Sam Mitchell a happy coach.

"I was really proud of the boys," he said. "As head coach of a club going through a learning phase and building phase, you need wins to build strong culture and the boys deserve to enjoy the victory.

"We were able to keep the pressure factor up for pretty much the whole game."

Proud of his team's "relentless nature", Mitchell said his young stars had been debating who would be the first to get a Rising Star nomination.

There were fewer smiles from Simpson who responded to his biggest defeat at the club with the soundbytes: "Extremely disappointing ... not good enough ... unacceptable ... no excuses."

The pre-match omens had hardly promised a thriller.

With just two wins between them this season and a form guide featuring more "L"s than a Welsh placename, the Round 10 contest had been patronisingly dismissed - even in the AFL Record - as the Harley Reid Cup with the losers better placed to secure the Bendigo Pioneers' expected no.1 draft pick.

The Eagles were without a win since round two and arrived with the league's worst injury list, sitting at 16 and described this week as "out of control" by Matthew Richardson after Jack Darling signed up with a fractured forearm.

In contrast, Hawthorn must wish they could play in Launceston every week having also recorded their only previous win of the season at the same venue against North Melbourne.

Both sides wore Indigenous guernseys for Sir Doug Nichols round, with Hawthorn's designed by Jarman Impey and Nathan Patterson, although the gestures were somewhat overshadowed by the club's ongoing racism investigation which had prompted president Andy Gowers to pen a letter to members the day before the game.

Rather appropriately, the first goal was kicked by West Coast's Indigenous player Jamaine Jones and although Hawthorn equaliser Tyler Brockman could not claim the same, he was at least wearing the no.33 guernsey synonymous with Cyril Rioli.

An uncannily accurate first quarter belied the blustery conditions and saw the teams kick nine straight goals between them. Even when Jacob Koschitzke broke the trend with the quarter's solitary behind 31 minutes in the making, he made amends by improving his accuracy just seconds later.

The pattern continued to half-time with Hawthorn 46 points up and producing eight different goal-kickers while the Eagles were still yet to register a behind.

Surprisingly, Sicily was making himself at home sporting long sleeves as the hosts' leading disposal-getter while Dom Sheed led the way with 19 touches to complement his two goals.

However, the afternoon was already over for Jones who was subbed out and had to be assisted from the Eagles' dugout to their crowded treatment room with his left ankle heavily iced. Captain Liam Duggan later joined him.

The visitors finally registered a behind but couldn't muster a goal as the third quarter belonged to Lewis. The 199-centimetre forward stood tall with three quickfire goals to go with one in each of the other three terms.

On the day he joined Luke Hodge on 47 games played at this venue - just one behind record-holder Shaun Burgoyne - Luke Breust cemented his status as its third-highest goal-kicker with two composed last-quarter kicks to finish with three.

James Worpel, Lachlan Bramble and Jai Newcombe also joined the party as the number of Hawks goal-kickers ran into double figures while Koschitzke, Cameron Mackenzie, Brockman and Josh Weddle bagged two each.

Sicily, Sheed and Conor Nash all finished on 30 disposals.

The AFL this week confirmed the dates for Tasmania's last matches of the 2023 season, both being Victorian derbies.

North Melbourne will host Melbourne at Bellerive Oval at 1.10pm on Sunday, August 6, exactly a week before Hawthorn play the Western Bulldogs at UTAS (1.10pm, Sunday, August 13).

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