Hawthorn opened Round 12 with a 52-point belting of St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night, 18.11 (119) to 9.13 (67). The Saints failed to kick a goal in the first half, the first time since 2023. Jack Gunston booted five goals on his return from a foot injury and Blake Hardwick kicked four in the final term with Gunston watching from the bench. Will Day returned after eight months out with a dislocated shoulder. The Hawks' 8-3 record now lifts Sam Mitchell's side back into the top four. The Saints stay at 5-7 and the questions over Ross Lyon's forward set-up extend into the bye week.
Gunston Five, Hardwick Four, Day Back
Gunston had two goals on the board inside the first 10 minutes, with the long-range first goal of the night setting the tone before the Saints had touched the ball inside their forward 50. The half-time score read Hawthorn 11.5 (71) to St Kilda 0.5 (5), the Saints' first goalless half since the 2023 Round 6 loss to Sydney. Hardwick came on as the second tall in the third quarter and the four-goal final term wrapped the result up early. Mitch Lewis added three goals and Nick Watson kicked two. Will Day, in his first match since dislocating his shoulder in Round 21 last year, had 18 disposals at 83 per cent kicking efficiency and looked sharp through midfield. Jai Newcombe (25 disposals, 17 contested possessions) and James Sicily (33 disposals, eight intercepts) were the Hawks' best on numbers. Jack Silvagni kicked three goals for the Saints in the second half as a partial response, but Marshall (away after concussion protocols) and Howard (calf) left the Saints short in the air and the contest was over by three-quarter time.
Mitchell's Side Back in the Four
The Hawks have now won seven straight at Marvel Stadium, dating back to their 2023 loss to St Kilda at the venue. Sam Mitchell's side go into the Round 13 bye on top of the cluster sitting in fourth, fifth and sixth, level on wins with Geelong and Brisbane but ahead on percentage. The form line into June reads handy. Gunston's return adds a 28-year-old key forward who has now kicked five goals in his return from injury. Day's return restores the inside-mid mix that had been the Hawks' best feature of the 2025 finals series. Conor Nash was a late withdrawal an hour before the bounce with neck soreness, with rookie Flynn Perez stepping in. For St Kilda, Sam Wallis was concussed in a marking contest just before half-time and ruled out for the second half, the third Saints concussion in five rounds.
Where the Markets Land
Hawthorn closed at $1.50 head-to-head with the line at -17.5, and the 52-point winning margin had Hawks line backers home before half-time. The over 179.5 game total cashed late in the third. Premiership markets adjust on Mitchell's side across our reviewed bookmakers dabble, Ladbrokes and bet365, with the Hawks coming in from $11 to $9 for the 2026 flag. Geelong remain the favourite at $4.50 ahead of Friday night's clash with Carlton. Coleman Medal markets sit firm with Jeremy Cameron, ahead of Carlton's Charlie Curnow with Cameron lining up against the Cats Friday. Brownlow markets see Jai Newcombe come in from $34 to $26 on his Thursday-night performance. The Saints drift further out of the eight at $9 to play September, with the Sam Walsh-Tanner Bruhn Carlton-Geelong battle the next big Brownlow market mover at the MCG Friday night. Full Round 12 fixture and Thursday team news via AFL.com.au.