Live: Max Gawn’s in-form Dees face Hawks test at the MCG

Only Melbourne inaccuracy has kept Hawthorn in front of this one, as the Demons completely took control in that second term. They are now well ahead in the clearance and inside 50 count, flipping some of those key stats since quarter time.

But a return of 1.7 with one out on the full from all those chances is a real disappointment, and the sort of profligacy that can wind up costing a team the game. The Hawks will know they’ve been below their best, have weathered a storm and are still ahead. Who will throw the next punch?

This young man is playing the best game of his career so far, and is right up there with the best players on the ground.

He was in the right place at the right time for this one as Newcombe fumbled a mark on the way out of defence. Langford swooped but only had a split second to snap on goal. It’s all he needed.

Just when the Demons thought they were making some ground back, Nick Watson gets some gentle high contact from a spoiling Tom McDonald and makes sure the ump doesn’t miss it.

The finish from deep in the pocket was typically sensational though. He gives the shush to the Melbourne crowd as the Hawks fans sing his praises.

So the blatant trip was missed, but not the blatant whack to the back of the head. Pickett belatedly wins a free kick and kicks the goal for Melbourne.

The Demons are all the way in this game today and really should be ahead right now.

Melbourne has been on top in this term, owning territory and generating plenty of chances at goals. But the finishing has been poor, plenty of kickable goals missed.

In saying that, the umpires just missed the most blatant trip I’ve seen in my entire life on Pickett in the goalsquare. That’s a last-man red card challenge if ever you’ve seen it. How that wasn’t spotted by one of the umpires out there is anyone’s guess.

The game finally broke open in a series of end-to-end breaks. Hawthorn missed a chance, then Melbourne did likewise.

The Hawks weren’t going to cough up two looks like that. Dylan Moore got out the back of the breakaway to mark, immediately played on and ran himself into an open goal. That hurts the Demons.

A couple of behinds to Hawthorn, a behind and one out on the full for Melbourne in the first five minutes of the second quarter.

Melbourne’s defence seems better set up around the ground in this quarter. More long Hawthorn kicks are being sent in the Gawn direction, which is bad news for the Hawks.

Bayley Fritsch absolutely shanked a set shot from 20 metres out after the siren to let the Hawks off the hook and keep the margin at one straight goal.

Felt like Hawthorn owned much of that term, but there were glimmers of hope for Melbourne when they managed to get some speed on the ball going forward. For the most part the defence held up too.

Meek has started well against Gawn but the Demon probably has a slight edge there. Hawks up in the clearances though.

Best passage of play of the day so far from Melbourne. Really sharp run and handball from half-back all the way to full-forward, where Sparrow had pushed forward from the outer wing.

The Demons have been patient with the ball for the most part today, but when they upped the pace there they looked far more dangerous.

The Demons played themselves into trouble in the defensive 50 and the pressure from Hawthorn was too hot. Langdon fumbled, Watson pounced and won the free for holding the ball.

From directly in front The Wizard made no mistake. Hawks getting some control on the game now.

Just a wave of brown and gold rushing through the attacking 50 there, starting with Chol bowling Windsor over with strength. He fed Ginnivan, who found Breust, who snapped from the goalsquare.

So hard to stop.

A couple of missed chances for the Hawks prove costly as the Demons eventually break the press and find Langford in the hole inside 50.

Langford took a strong mark as D’Ambrosio whacked him in the head and then finished nicely. All square early.

A little win for Meek in his battle against Gawn, and a big win for Hawthorn getting the first goal of the day.

As Hawthorn moved the ball forward Gawn begun sinking deep for his usual defensive spot in the hole, but Meek opted to stay further from goal for the easy pass. The set shot was perfect. Food for thought for Maxy.

Decent crowd in and still building. Sun beaming down on the MCG. Gawn and Meek ready for the first bounce of the day.

Melbourne and Hawthorn, let’s go.

Simon Goodwin has confirmed on Fox Footy that Melbourne will send Clayton Oliver to perform a close-checking role on Hawthorn gun mid Jai Newcombe.

I doubt it will be a true tag, rather more of a head-to-head slugfest at the stoppages between two ball-winning brutes. Sounds pretty good, yeah?

Big Maxy is probably the form player in the league right now. He has utterly torn the comp to shreds over the past month, arguably best on ground in each of his last four games. Gawn may never have played better than he is right now.

So what can the Hawks do about it? It’s a big job for Lloyd Meek, who if nothing else will have the size and strength to be a significant obstacle for Gawn in the ruck. But Hawthorn will need to combat Gawn around the ground too, perhaps with the sort of co-ordinated physical effort we’ve seen the star Demon cop before.

Sam Mitchell will surely have something up his sleeve.

No late changes for either team. Koltyn Tholstrup is Melbourne’s sub, and Bailey Macdonald is wearing the vest for Hawthorn.

Hello, and welcome back to ABC Sport’s live blog coverage of the 2025 AFL season. We’ve got four big games for you to savour today, kicking off at the MCG and culminating in an unmissable Showdown in Adelaide.

First up are Melbourne and Hawthorn, two sides who are no stranger to this arena. The Demons have found some form with three wins in a row coming in to this game while Hawthorn’s big wins over West Coast and Richmond put the Hawks back on track.

Essendon and Sydney will be one to watch, the stakes high for both sides who have steadied after indifferent starts to the year. The up in Darwin, Gold Coast takes on the Western Bulldogs in a game between two sides who really ought to be featuring in September.

Then it’s Showdown 57. Port Adelaide and Adelaide renewing their rivalry under the lights of the glorious Adelaide Oval. It shapes as one of the games of the season.

Huge day! Join me, Chris De Silva and Marnie Vinall as we take you through it all, start to finish.