Adelaide went down to Hawthorn by three points in tough conditions at UTAS Stadium in Tasmania on Friday night.
Jai Newcombe had been well shut out of the game by Sam Berry, but you only need one moment to turn a game, and he proved to be the match-winner, pouncing on the loose footy in the final few minutes to secure Hawthorn a 6.11 (47) to 5.14 (44) victory.
Thirteen consecutive behinds were kicked between the two teams across the third and fourth terms, as a number of players failed to take an opportunity to apply scoreboard pressure.
Hawthorn had finally seized the lead for the first time all match when Connor Macdonald broke the drought with his second major, coming with seven minutes left on the clock.
The floodgates didn't fully open, but they sprang a few leaks – Izak Rankine looked like he'd pinched back the lead, before Newcombe locked away the win.
At the start of the game, the "feels like" in Launceston was a chilly 3.6 degrees (although Melbourne wasn't much warmer at 5.6), rendering it a quasi-wet weather game, with plenty of dew and frost on the grass.
The "feels like" margin at the game at quarter-time was closer to 30 points, rather than the actual 15, such was the dominance and pressure of Adelaide, recording 18 inside 50s to nine in the opening stanza.
It took until the six-minute mark of the second term for Hawthorn to record its first major, via a free kick to Jack Gunston, the Hawks' forward line having struggled to hold its structure in the first term as the Crows feasted.
Much-loved Crow Ben Keays celebrated his 150th game with two impressive goals in the second term, showing plenty of composure and sharp reflexes in attack as his teammates struggled to find the middle of the big sticks.
Berry had held Newcombe to just five touches in the first half (and 15 for the game), as Hawthorn struggled to get its hands on the ball out of the middle, trailing in the clearance count by seven and contested possession by 20 at the main break.
Nick Watson was sent to the middle to kick off the second half, with Sam Mitchell also pulling the trigger on his substitute, bringing in birthday boy Changkouth Jiath for Henry Hustwaite. The changes worked, kicking a goal within 14 seconds from a centre-bounce clearance.
In a complete 180 from the first half, Hawthorn completely dried up the scoring of Adelaide in the third term, but like the Crows before them, couldn't take advantage of their own dominance.
Jordan Dawson ran hard all night for Adelaide, while Josh Weddle and Jarman Impey provided plenty of bounce out of defence for the Hawks.
SCOREBOARD
HAWTHORN 0.2 2.4 4.7 6.11 (47)
ADELAIDE 2.3 4.7 4.11 5.14 (44)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Gunston 2, Macdonald 2, Chol, Newcombe
Adelaide: Keays 2, Curtain, Cumming, Rankine
BEST
Hawthorn: Weddle, Impey, Gunston, Moore, Meek
Adelaide: Dawson, Soligo, Curtain, Keays, Worrell
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
Adelaide: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: Changkuoth Jiath (replaced Henry Hustwaite at half-time)
Adelaide: Brodie Smith (replaced Luke Pedlar in the third quarter)
