How to watch Hawthorn Hawks vs Essendon Bombers AFL live and match preview
Hawthorn overturned a 39-point deficit to stun the Bombers in round 1. Can the Hawks defeat Essendon again in Tasmania?
"What a comeback", the headlines sang following Hawthorn's famous victory over bitter rivals Essendon in round 1. The Bombers were all over the Hawks at half-time of that clash and looked all but home thanks to a commanding 39-point lead, only for a second-half revival by the Hawks that allowed them to steal a thrilling 1-point win.
The Hawks have managed just 2 wins from 11 games since then, their latest coming in the last round when they upset the likely finals-bound Sydney Swans at the SCG.
Essendon's season has been one of steady improvement under first-year coach Ben Rutton. The Dons are 2 games outside the top 8 but a good run home leaves the finals door ajar.
When is Hawthorn vs Essendon?
The opening bounce is at 3:20pm AEST at Launceston's University of Tasmania Stadium on Sunday 20 June.
How to watch Hawthorn vs Essendon live
Channel 7 and Foxtel share the rights to AFL matches in Australia and the broadcasts vary from state to state. As mentioned above, this game is not being shown on free-to-air TV anywhere in Australia. To watch these great rivals you need access to either Foxtel iQ, Foxtel Now or Kayo Sports.
We have a full guide to watching the AFL season here. Kayo Sports is our pick of the bunch, a platform that allows you to get Fox Sports without committing to Foxtel.
Stream Kayo Sports for 14 days FREE and no lock-in contract
Take Kayo Sports' Basic or Premium plan for a spin and stream over 50 sports live completely free for 14 days.
10-day free trial of Foxtel Now
No installation and no lock-in contract. New customers only. Sign up now.
Stream Hawks vs Essendon on Kayo Sports
You can watch Hawthorn vs Essendon for zero cost using Kayo's 14-day free trial for new users. That gives you 2 full weeks to try out all Kayo has to offer, which includes more than 50 sports all up.
After the trial period, a Basic subscription is $25 a month to watch on 2 screens or $35 a month for a third screen. You can check it all out in our Kayo Sports review.
Kayo also has a wide range of special features to add to your viewing experience. SplitView lets you watch up to 4 sports at once on the same screen. Other features include Interactive Stats, No Spoilers, Key Moments and more.
Kayo is compatible with Macs and PCs, plus iOS and Android devices, Chromecast, Apple TV, Android TV, Telstra TV, Sony Bravia TV and Samsung TV (2017 or later).
Live stream every AFL game live on Kayo: Start your 14-day FREE trial now
Hawthorn vs Essendon match preview
Perhaps the biggest winner on the day will be Tasmania-based Essendon fans, who get to watch their team battle for premiership points in the Apple Isle for the first time since way, way back in 1992. Kevin Sheedy was coaching and future premiership-winning coach Mark Thompson was the Essendon skipper that day.
On the field, we think Essendon will add to Hawthorn's miserable old year with a thumping win. If the Bombers are to make finals, they simply must win games like this.
The Hawks are coming off their best performance for 2021 in their 38-point victory over the Swans, which should give them some confidence. But the Bombers have too much to play for in this one.
You can see a comparison of Kayo vs Foxtel here. We have also broken down the full 2021 AFL draw.
