Four-time Hawthorn premiership coach Alastair Clarkson dissects Friday night’s thriller at the MCG in his post-match press conference …

On how the game played out …

“We had to work really hard to find a way to win. The game ebbed and flowed. We got back into it a bit in the second quarter, but then Adelaide pretty much controlled the ball in the third quarter. We were, perhaps, lucky that they didn’t put a bit more scoreboard pressure on us in the third quarter.

“We just had to make sure that Adelaide didn’t get those fast counter-attack plays where they just got into a paddock of space. They got too many of those easy goals, especially, early in the game.

“We still found ourselves within striking distance in the last quarter. We started to win the ball around the contest, which was critical to us. Then, they (the Crows) were really good again for big chunks of the last quarter too.

“Somehow, we just found a way by some special plays at really, really critical times.”

On stopping those ‘easy’ goals over the back …

“Adelaide are pretty unique in the way they play the game. They don’t have a lot of inside 50m entries, but jeez they score potently when they do get them. I think they had 48 inside 50ms for 17 goals.

“It’s not just us … they’ve been able to open up (defensively), they’ve been able to open up every side. They opened up the Kangaroos in the early part of the season too. They found a way to win that game too, the Kangas, when they were down and out a bit in the second quarter.

“It’s just their (the Crows’) rebound from half-back. (Rory) Laird and (Brodie) Smith have just become very, very potent and damaging rebounders for them. (They’re) probably equal of the Dogs in that regard.

“I’d say it takes a different manner of playing against them (the Crows). We’ll have to watch them pretty closely because I reckon they’re going to be a really good side and challenge significantly come the end of the year.”

On conceding in excess of 100 points for the game …

“We’re not going to win finals if we’re conceding 17 goals. We need to find a way to try and restrict sides like Adelaide from kicking that many.

“They played a great brand of footy. We went into tonight’s game knowing full well how Adelaide play and how quickly they can score on that slingshot footy, but we still could do very little to try and stop it. I’m not sure what you can do.

“When you’ve got blokes with the potency off half-back and really damaging forwards like Walker, Betts and Jenkins … the sides that are capable of defending that are going to be the ones sitting up the top of the ladder, I’m sure.”

On five-goal hero Paul Puopolo’s match winner in the final minute …

“He (Puopolo) had played well and was kicking them pretty straight, so I’m glad that one went through as well!”

On the tense final 18 seconds of the game where Isaac Smith was tackled in Adelaide’s deep in Adelaide’s attack …

“It was a fair pack (around the ball), wasn’t it? That happens in a game. It was a really well-fought out game – the intensity of both sides and tackle pressure. It was high scoring. It would’ve been a great spectacle and terrific Friday night footy.

“Pykey’s got those boys playing really good footy and they were pretty stiff, probably, that they lost the game. They put themselves in a winning position and will be disappointed but probably pleased that they know they’re thereabouts as a really, really good side.

“We know we’re thereabouts as well, but we need to improve on some things in our game because we’re not going to continue to win close games like that. At some point in time, we’re going to lose a close game like that.”

On Hawthorn’s incredible record of winning tight contests …

“It’s probably just composure and experience in key moments of the game, and just having flexibility in our side. That even applied to the young blokes. We had to play James Sicily behind the ball which he hasn’t had to do before. Timmy O’Brien went behind the ball, played on ‘Tex’ Walker and did okay.

“It’s just that flexibility of our players to change their positions and mix something up at key moments of games when things aren’t going our way for a whole heap of reasons. We’ve got 6-8 players that are all coaches themselves in a sense given their experience and the games that they’ve played, that’s pretty important for us in key moments.”