Hawthorn put their AFL premiership defence back on track but were forced to battle hard against a plucky Fremantle before posting a 13.9 (87) to 9.11 (65) victory at Subiaco Oval on Friday night.

As both sides fought to square the ledger in their win-loss record, the Dockers would be disappointed that their poor kicking on goal at vital times cost them dearly.

Tall ruckman Aaron Sandilands dominated the stoppages and the Fremantle midfield was up to the task of matching the premiers, but four easy shots on goal went astray in the third quarter, while another four missed shots cost the side in the last term.

The game was won by Hawthorn in the second quarter, when they struck with five goals in less than 15 minutes to have Fremantle in deep trouble at halftime.

The uncanny goal-shooting of Lance Franklin helped the visitors to an 8.4 (52) to 3.4 (22) lead at the break.

It had been a hard fought, tense encounter until the 15 minute mark of the second half.

Chris Tarrant, being used again in defence, had the measure of Franklin until the Perth-born 20-year-old put a dagger in the heart of Fremantle fans with two quick opportunist goals.

They followed the athletic forward's one goal from a set shot from 55 metres out in the first quarter.

With goals by Mark Williams, Cyril Rioli and Garry Moss adding to Franklin's efforts, the Hawks booted five majors in 13 minutes to lead by 30.

The first quarter set the tone for a cracking game of football as both sides showed how badly they wanted the 4-4 win-loss standing that would keep them in touch with the competition front-runners.

The Hawks opened the scoring in the first six minutes as a Sam Mitchell handball created room for Chance Bateman to goal from 40 metres out before Mitchell booted a 55 metre shot home shortly after.

Strong tackling was the feature of a game that had produced only six goals up to the 18-minute mark of the second quarter, despite perfect playing conditions.

Matthew Pavlich and Byron Schammer had kept Fremantle steady as Sandilands dominated the stoppages against Hawthorn's Simon Taylor.

Fremantle clawed back eight points on their opponents to trail 11.6 (72) to 7.8 (50) at the three-quarter time siren, but it should have been many more.

The Dockers had the better of Hawthorn for most of the quarter, but missed three easy shots in the first 12 minutes, with Sandilands missing another two chances late in the quarter.

The pattern remained the same in the last quarter, with Fremantle dominating play but unable to take advantage of their opportunities.

After getting with 14 points of their rivals midway through the quarter, Hawthorn's sharp-shooters Jarryd Roughead and Franklin each kicked 50 metre goals to take the game away from Fremantle.

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