July 4, 2026 — 4:32pmThe record books were being hurriedly scurried through, twice, in Launceston, as Hawthorn following one of the most horrific first halves in recent memory with a fightback that defied logic or precedent.The Hawks fell in a disastrous 96-point hole midway through the third quarter before summoning 12 straight goals to close to within 23 points.In the end, they were denied by a combination of the game clock and their woeful first half.Not happy, Sam: The Hawks coach delivers a few home truths to his side.AFL PhotosMax Gawn, Jacob van Rooyen and Changkuoth Jiath lorded over Hawthorn in the most lopsided first half of the season.Bayley Fritsch’s fourth goal on the half-time siren saw the scoreboard at UTAS Stadium read 13.8 to 1.3. That’s not a misprint.Hawthorn, chasing their 12th straight win in Launceston (while Melbourne were playing there for the first time), were a rabble.The Hawks had some key outs in Nick Watson, Karl Amon and Ned Reeves, augmented by the withdrawal of Josh Battle (appendicitis). But that doesn’t excuse their complete lack of fight, lack of skill, or lack of spirit – the Dees treating them with utter contempt in an absolute cakewalk.When Latrelle Pickett converted a free kick in the third term to make it 16.9 to 2.3, a rare century-plus margin was on.From that point, the tide flipped dramatically. Mabior Chol booted four goals from late in the third term onwards, while Jake Ginnivan – unsighted in the first half – burst to life.Debutant Noah Mraz, a bright spark in defeat, snared a game-high six contested marks for the Hawks.Bayley Fritsch and the Demons won on their first trip to UTAS Stadium as a side.Getty ImagesChol’s fourth goal made it a 24-point ball-game, before Ginnivan missed a relative sitter moments later. Had he converted, it would have been a three-goal gap with 2:25 remaining. That’s game on in anyone’s language.Finally, Fritsch put an end to the craziness – and the Dees’ drought – by slotting his fifth.The record books will show a seemingly routine 35-point victory to Melbourne. They quite conceivable could have shown almost anything else.Essendon’s record for the biggest comeback in VFL/AFL history to win (69 points against North Melbourne in 2001) remains intact.More to comeKeep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.From our partners