No fears for Hawks without Lance Franklin A comfortable win to the Hawks with Jarryd Roughead bagging a five goal haul Hawthorn's Jarryd Roughead flies high to beat the St Kilda pack to the ball at Etihad Stadium last night. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: News Limited HAWTHORN had a taste of life without Lance Franklin at Etihad Stadium last night, and it was not necessarily unpalatable fare. With the out-of-contract and still undecided Franklin sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Hawks regained the composure they had lost in a defeat by Richmond the previous weekend, beating St Kilda by 46 points. They are on track for a second straight minor premiership at 16-3, with Franklin and captain Luke Hodge (thumb) to return, and coach Alistair Clarkson seeking the Bart Cummings-style preparation for September that he could not deliver last year. For Clarkson, the only downer on the night was the withdrawal of forward Jack Gunston in the third quarter with a left thigh injury. It was unclear whether he would be available for the huge game against Collingwood at the MCG next Friday night. The Hawks took a quarter to grind into gear, but after that it was a routine flogging of a defenceless opponent. St Kilda have eight players already finished for the season with injuries and required surgeries; for the Saints, it is about finding new talent and the knowledge that there is an early draft pick coming. Franklin said during the week that he would like to remain at Hawthorn next year, despite the potential lure of a whale of a contract at Greater Western Sydney or Fremantle. But he stopped short of committing, and Hawks supporters noted what was missing from his words rather than what he actually said. In any event, his old running mate Jarryd Roughead does a passable imitation. In fact, Roughead is a far better overhead mark and his conversion has improved dramatically this year; he booted another five goals in a best-on-ground performance last night and his season's tally of 59 is tracking towards his career-high watermark of 75 in 2008. That was a premiership year, needless to say. For a tall forward, playing against St Kilda is like a smorgasbord. The Saints spent the last off-season trying to find a key defender, unsuccessfully so, and it has hurt them badly and often. Most of those who remained are injured now, and James Gwilt, who began on Roughead last night, was substituted at half-time. St Kilda managed to compete for a quarter, the first, when it dominated the contested football count 39-18 against a Hawthorn team that had come in complacent and flat. But even in that opening 30 minutes, when St Kilda controlled possession, their inability to convert or execute simple attacking moves was costly. With far less football, the Hawks still led at the first change, and then the premiership favourites booted five goals to one in the second quarter to seize control. There was a gulf in class between the teams, although the tendency for poor conversion affected both. Inexplicably, they kicked 21.32 between them in pristine conditions under the roof. The game never reached high standards but there were some entertaining duels. St Kilda's captain Nick Riewoldt engaged all night with his opponent, Josh Gibson, starting strongly but having Gibson hit back hard with his trademark spoils. Riewoldt's poor kicking for goal (1.3) saved Gibson a lot of heartache. Around the middle, Sam Mitchell and Leigh Montagna went head-to-head in theory only. They roamed wide of each other and racked up huge numbers, both proving effective for their teams, Montagna having 35 disposals and Mitchell 24. Clarkson is still experimenting and tinkering with his team. Taylor Duryea is a handy running defender and Matt Spangher booted a goal in his first game since round two, and just his third in brown and gold colours. Sam Grimley is an impressive ruck-forward but it is not clear whether they will be there when the big finals come. St Kilda gave 19-year-old Darren Minchington his debut and he kicked a nice, running goal in the third quarter. Veteran Adam Schneider made an encouraging return with three opportunistic goals after being a late inclusion for what was just his second game of a season dogged by hamstring problems, replacing a "sore" Stephen Milne. But the Saints are limping to the finish of the season, battered and in need of a talent injection. St Kilda 7.14 (56) Hawthorn 14.18 (102)