But despite missing out on the four points, the Hawks came away from the match with their pride intact after matching the Pigeons for the majority of the contest.

Yarrawonga built a lead early in the contest, with its classy midfield brigade, led by John Lucas and Xavier Leslie, getting first use of the ball.

With new recruits Justin McCabe and Mark Keenan looking dangerous up forward Yarrawonga looked set for a field day.

But the Hawks hit back hard midway through the opening quarter, and lifted their intensity at the stoppages, putting the Pigeons’ prime movers under pressure at every opportunity.

At the same time the Hawks had Tas Clingan, Daniel McLaughlin and Jason Humphries working hard to get the ball forward, ensuring match remained tightly contested thereafter.

The margin remained around the three-goal mark for much of the day, with the Hawks controlling the tempo for extended periods, and the Pigeons breaking through with intermittent goals.

But Yarrawonga finally broke the shackles early in the final term, booting the first three majors of the period to increase the margin to six goals.

To their credit, the Hawks once again fought back, kicking four of the last six goals to eventually go down 14.15 (99) to 11.9 (75).

While he was disappointed not to have won, Hawks coach Matt Allen said his players had given their all against the classy Pigeons.

"We come out of the match knowing we have a few things to work on, but satisfied with the effort," he said.