Essendon have succumbed to a 39-point loss at the hands of Hawthorn in their marquee fixture at the NEC Hangar on Friday night.

The Hawks’ fast start put the Bombers on the back foot early, and despite some strong defending from co-captain James Leonard, Essendon would find themselves down by 30 points at the main break.

Caleb Logan was again moved to defence in the second half to negate Hawthorn’s quickfire attack, and it would restore some form for the Bombers, who ended up winning the final quarter.

Scott van Gemert was another solid contributor on the day, lending a hand in defence when required.

The Community side fared well on the night, winning their first game of the season after toppling the Hawks by 14 points, with Kaleb Powell a standout.