AFL round one live updates: Essendon vs Hawthorn, GWS vs North ...

Kyle Langford held James Sicily at bay and used up all of his five or six goes at hanging on to that fingertip mark.

You can always trust a Langford set shot, and he stretches that lead back out. A quiet day, but an influential finish for Kyle Langford.

I wasn't sure if they had this sort of run left in them, but as soon as the ball finds open space it's the Hawks running on top of the ground now.

This time Gunston kept a cool head and found the option inside 50, and Moore didn't let him down with an accurate set shot.

Seven point game, 9:30 to play. Game on.

They were out! They'd played it perfectly! Finn Maginness just had to find Gunston alone in the goalsquare and it was a certain goal.

But his kick was two metres long, and bounced end on end through for a behind. Another missed chance for the Hawks. There have been too many of those today.

Hawthorn needed that! It hasn't been Mitch Lewis's best day, but he was strong enough and good enough to mark and convert on this occasion.

Josh Weddle was the provider, bouncing back from the error moments ago to keep on running through the middle of the ground. What a weapon he will be.

It all started from fantastic work from Jye Caldwell, who chased down Josh Weddle and stuck the tackle. He hit up Stringer on the lead, who is having a good goalkicking day.

Under 15 minutes to play and the Essendon lead is now higher than it has been all day. Can they put this one to bed?

He swerves through the traffic, swings onto his right foot and snaps it home! And have a look at the celebration, he's up and about!

The Bombers are out to a 14-point lead and there is serious work to do for Hawthorn now.

We're underway for the final term at the MCG. First goal will be a big one.

The Hawks will be scratching their heads at how they aren't leading this game, but the answer is pretty simple. The Bombers have taken their chances in front of goal and have created better chances by dominating things like centre bounce clearance.

For all of Hawthorn's good work around the ground - and they have been excellent at ground level and with their forward-half pressure - it hasn't told on the scoreboard.

This one could come down to who kicks straighter in the last. Or maybe the Bombers' big men could finally break down the Hawks' resistance. Or maybe the brown and gold swarm could overwhelm the Dons.

It really could go either way at this point. Cracking game.

The efficiency and accuracy of the Bombers could decide this game. Another high ball inside 50 was well plucked by Guelfi, who has had a good marking game.

He makes no mistake, and it looks like seven points will be the 3QT margin.

It's blow for blow now! Chol took a good mark, but just too far out for him to score. The Bombers weren't alive to the threat of Amon lurking around the back, but once he got the dish-off handball it was only headed one way.

A thumping finish on the run from Amon, back to a one-point game.

Some of Essendon's best ball movement of the game. They went the switch and got Durham in behind, whose overhead handball to the running Tsatas set Langford up.

Haven't seen much of Langford yet, but that sort of quality will be critical as we get to the clutch stages of this one.

When the game has been formulaic and organised, the Bombers have been on top. The Hawks have been good at causing chaos and are thriving in it, but there isn't much they can do when the ball heads back to the middle.

The Bombers are walking it out of the middle like this consistently. Three minutes to play in the third, it's a one-point game.

The Hawks are working so hard for their goals, only to see the Bombers continue to dominate centre clearances and turn it into score.

Perkins has provided a touch of class in this quarter, and his 18th disposal is a right-foot snap for his second goal.

A weaving run and shot from Breust was destined to be a goal, if not for his old mate Jack bobbing up on the goal line to pinch his moment.

Gunston makes no mistake from the goalsquare and the Hawks - who are on top all around the ground - are back in front.

This was just a glancing blow on Sam Durham, which may save Jai Newcombe's bacon. Got to be very careful with this sort of stuff this season though.

We said that stoppage scores will be the key for Essendon, and there it is again.

Caldwell walked out of the centre bounce, took it to 50 and made no mistake on the run. The Bombers have a clear midfield advantage at the moment and it's proving profitable.

A courageous mark inside 50 earned him the chance to put right some of Hawthorn's goalkicking wrongs, and he made no mistake.

How the small man was able to take a mark like that inside 50, I'm not sure. But the Hawks deserved some reward for their hard work.

Jack Ginnivan has been excellent, Mabior Chol has had some big moments, but now Massimo D'Ambroiso is really having a say in this one too.

He's up to 19 disposals and is second among Hawks for metres gained.

With 10 minutes left in the third, the Hawks still trail by three and are fighting to have their good work show on the scoreboard.

An absolute stinker of an exiting kick from Amon landed in the chest of Perkins at half-forward, but it could have been raffled among three Bombers.

Perkins was confident with his set shot, and the Dons have the lead back again.