Jai Newcombe, take a bow.

The heat has been on one of Hawthorn’s prime movers after a dip in form across recent weeks, but his response against Collingwood was emphatic to say the least.

The Hawthorn hard nut was arguably best on ground in Hawthorn’s huge win over the Pies, that boosts their top eight hopes – and possibly now even top four hopes – dramatically.

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Newcombe was in the thick of the action early on Thursday night after a heavy collision that left Pies veteran Jeremy Howe concussed.

The Hawks star himself came out of the incident looking worse for wear, but after passing his head injury assessment (HIA), returned to the contest and made a huge impact.

The gun Hawk amassed 28 disposals, eleven score involvements and seven clearances, leading the way around the coalface for Sam Mitchell’s side.

“I thought he was brilliant,” Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall said post-game on Fox Footy.

“The ability after the HIA to come back out and just head down, attack the ball, get involved, his decision making was good,” he said.

“Some of his stoppage work, his strength was first class.”

Newcombe played just 70 per cent time on ground after missing the bulk of the first term due to the HIA, but he certainly made his impact felt thereafter recording game-highs for disposals, clearances and score involvements.

Hawthorn hammer Pies by 64 points! | 02:14

“That’s him at his absolute best,” North Melbourne champion David King added.

“The score involvements were the big one for me… he’d still been winning clearance, but just hadn’t been doing the damage. Last year we saw him late in the season, his score involvements go through the roof and it was a big reason for the Hawks making that run late,” St Kilda champion Leigh Montagna said.

Coach Sam Mitchell was full of praise for his star midfielder, especially the way in which he responded after the Howe incident earlier in the game.

“Jai’s leadership can’t be understated,” Mitchell said post-match.

“He has that massive moment earlier in the game which sets the tone for us, I just want to reiterate that thoughts go out to Jeremy Howe and his family,” he continued.

“There was a skied ball right in front of the bench where he took the contested mark… he stood under it and it was like, man, this is the guy you want to play footy with. I think all of our players walk pretty tall when Nuke’s running out there next to them,” Mitchell said.

McRae brutally honest about Pies | 10:46

In his last eleven matches, Newcombe has featured in the coaches’ votes only twice. He hasn’t quite reached the same heights as last year, where he claimed the Peter Crimmins Medal as Hawthorn’s Best and Fairest.

Against Carlton a few weeks back, Newcombe was subbed out early in the game to manage his loads. He’s done a lot of heavy lifting this year.

With Will Day sidelined for the majority of the campaign, plenty has fallen on Newcombe’s shoulders. James Worpel and Conor Nash have also both missed games due to injury and suspension, meaning Newcombe has been the go-to guy throughout the 2025 season.

When Day returned against the Blues in round 20, there was widespread belief that the Hawks had added the missing piece to their premiership puzzle. Day provides a point of difference in Mitchell’s midfield group, who can sometimes look a little bit one-paced or same-same.

Implications for Newcombe, Howe after KO | 01:01

The Hawks used Dylan Moore and Nick Watson in bursts through there against the Pies, while Connor Macdonald is another player who Mitchell has turned to to provide a spark in other games.

But at the end of the day, the Hawks needed their biggest stars to step up. The onus was put on Newcombe. He had to step up and he certainly delivered in one of Hawthorn’s biggest and most important wins of the year.