Lance Franklin powered towards an AFL ton

but a midfield burst broke a deadlock and helped Hawthorn power away from the Brisbane Lions at Aurora Stadium.

In a remarkable showing of the Hawks' scoring prowess, they turned a grind that produced four goals in the first half into a 69-point romp to secure Alastair Clarkson's team the double chance.

Franklin kicked six goals to give him 91 for the season while Shane Crawford capped his 300th game with the final goal and a place in his side's best in the 16.14 (110) to 5.11 (41) victory.

The Lions' loss left them outside the top eight and needing to win all three of their remaining games to play finals; coach Leigh Matthews admitting his side's confidence was shaky after five defeats from the past six outings.

In contrast, Hawthorn's confidence is sky-high after they turned what was a defensive game of cat and mouse into a percentage booster.

With both sides opting to play defensive zones, use loose men in defence and chip the ball around, the Hawks and Lions found themselves locked on one goal apiece well into the second quarter in perfect conditions.

But Franklin stamped his influence by gathering a loose ball on the wing, tucking it under the arm, taking two bounces and finding Cyril Rioli with a perfectly-weighted pass.

Rioli's goal and a major to Franklin three minutes later put the Hawks three goals to one up.

Although a slight margin, the Lions could not cope with Jonathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw subdued, as Hawk Luke Hodge played to perfection the role of defensive sweeper.

Matthews tried to open up the game in the second half in an attempt to reduce the deficit, but that afforded Franklin and his mates Rioli (three goals), Cameron Stokes and Jordan Lewis (two each) too much space.

Hawthorn slammed on nine goals in the final quarter and, such was their dominance, Clarkson told Crawford to go forward in search of the fairytale goal that came in the final minute.

Clarkson did not sway from his season-long reluctance to single out Franklin, but Matthews had no doubt the superstar's ability to play like a midfielder when needed was instrumental in the outcome.

"Given that we'd only kicked one goal, those couple of goals got them three goals and all of a sudden they were a couple of goals in front," Matthews said.

"On that basis we would have played for another six months and not picked them up. That changed the game."

Clarkson praised Hawthorn's patience in picking their way through the Lions' zone and providing the forwards with enough opportunities as a growing sign of maturity in his side.

This win allows the Hawks to focus on their likely opponents in the first week of the finals, as they cannot be budged from a top-three position.

"There was plenty of recognition for Crawf and Goo (Brent Guerra, in his 150th game) today, but more importantly we got the four points that makes it a certainty to finish in the top four, which is what we're after," Clarkson said.

The Lions must beat the Western Bulldogs, Carlton and Sydney to be any chance of playing finals which was tough enough after dropping some recent close games.

"Now we've had the disappointment of being taken apart on the scoreboard, so it's going to take all our resilience and our determination to ensure we come up again next week," Matthews said.

"But that indefinable confidence would have to be a little bit shaky over a couple of guys."

In a further blow, defender Josh Drummond's season is over because of a quad strain.

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