Injuries to more key players have marred Hawthorn's clinical 65-point demolition of arch-rival Essendon in front of 64,537 fans at the MCG on Friday night.
Without suspended key forward Lance Franklin, the Hawks had a season-best 11 individual goalkickers in the 23.8 (146) to 12.9 (81) win, their 10th of the season, but lost Cyril Rioli and Brad Sewell during the match.
After a bright start to the season in James Hird's first year as coach, the Bombers have now lost five consecutive games and will be replaced in the top eight by either Melbourne or Richmond, who meet at the MCG tomorrow afternoon.
Making matters worse, Essendon was also hit by the injury curse, with skipper Jobe Watson going down with a recurrence of his left hamstring strain and David Myers and Sam Lonergan also finishing the game on the bench.
Hawthorn built its win on the back of its precise kicking, banging on eight goals to one in a second quarter in which it had 79 kicks to Essendon's 33 and 42 marks to just 14, opening up a 61-point half-time lead.
The Hawks extended their lead to a game-high 67 points early in the third quarter before Essendon restored some respectability to the scoreboard as the heat went out of the game with four last-quarter goals.
As the intensity of the contest waned, the talking point of the second half was the procession of injured players heading for the bench.
After Thomas Murphy was a late withdrawal before the match with a shoulder problem, playmaker Rioli left the ground with a right hamstring strain and tough midfielder Sewell went off with a suspected medial ligament strain in his left knee.
The Bombers' medical staff were just as busy, with Watson and Myers both suffering hamstring strains and Lonergan a knee injury.
Hawthorn had seven players kick multiple goals, with lively youngsters Isaac Smith, Shane Savage and Liam Shiels and experienced half-forward Michael Osborne bagging three each.
Among a host of outstanding performers for the Hawks, Grant Birchall set the game up off half-back, Luke Hodge was at his tough, influential best through the middle of the ground, and David Hale, with added responsibility as his team's only tall forward target, competed hard.
In-form former captain Sam Mitchell had his fourth 38-possession game of the season.
For the Bombers, Heath Hocking tried hard all night, Brent Stanton had 31 possessions and kicked two goals, David Zaharakis was prolific and small forward Leroy Jetta's three goals made his a serviceable performance.
The Hawks next meet Collingwood in a huge clash at the MCG next Sunday, while Essendon faces a tough task to get its season back on track with a match-up against top-of-the-table Geelong at Etihad Stadium.
Hawthorn 6.2 14.4 19.6 23.8 (146)
Essendon 3.2 4.3 8.6 12.9 (81)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Shiels 3, Smith 3, Savage 3, Osborne 3, Rioli 2, Hale 2, Lewis 2, Suckling 2, Hodge, Cheney, Whitecross
Essendon: Jetta 3, Davey 2, Stanton 2, Hocking, Bellchambers, Howlett, Melksham, Zaharakis
BEST
Hawthorn: Birchall, Shiels, Hodge, Hale, Smith, Lewis, Mitchell
Essendon: Hocking, Jetta, Stanton, Heppell, Zaharakis
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Murphy (shoulder) replaced in the selected side by Cheney, Sewell (left knee), Rioli (right hamstring)
Essendon: Lonergan (left knee), Watson (left hamstring), Myers (right hamstring)
SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: Brad Sewell (left knee) replaced by Chance Bateman at halftime.
Essendon: Sam Lonergan (left knee) replaced by Jake Melksham in the second quarter.
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Donlon, Chamberlain, Armstrong
Official crowd: 64,537 at the MCG.
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