Summary Hawthorn has 68 points, four more than Geelong.
MELBOURNE (AP) - The first-place Hawthorn Hawks and closest pursuers Geelong continued to distance themselves from the rest of the Australian Football League after easy weekend victories.
Lance Franklin returned from a hamstring injury to kick four goals in an 18.11 (119) to 12.12 (84) victory over the Collingwood Magpies in front of 71,533 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Geelong skipper Joel Selwood kicked four goals from 29 possessions as the Cats beat West Coast 16.11 (107) to 6.5 (41).
Hawthorn has 68 points, four more than Geelong.
Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said the match had playoffs-like intensity. There are two rounds left in the regular season.
"It gives us a nice reminder of what's coming in a few weeks," Clarkson said. "Both sides were really hard at it and I'm really pleased that under that type of finals-type pressure, we were able to stand up."
On Sunday, third-place Sydney and fourth-place Fremantle, each with 58 points, have a chance to stay close to the leading pair when the Swans host St. Kilda and Fremantle plays the Melbourne Demons.
Essendon, which had team officials implicated in a supplements doping scandal last week, lost 17.13 (115) to 9.16 (70) to North Melbourne. The Kangaroos kicked six goals to two in the third quarter to hand the Bombers their fourth consecutive loss.
The Brisbane Lions, with former Fremantle coach Mark Harvey taking over from Michael Voss, dominated the Greater Western Sydney Giants for an 18.15 (123) to 9.9 (63) victory. Voss's controversial mid-week firing was met with one of the lowest home crowds the club has experienced, with only 13,855 fans attending.
Port Adelaide beat the Gold Coast Suns 16.17 (113) to 14.12 (96) to stay in the eighth and last playoff position, two points ahead of Carlton, which remained with a chance of qualifying after a 16.10 (106) to 14.12 (96) win over Richmond.
