Premierships may not be won in the middle of winter but it's when the foundations are laid and the Hawks are building theirs out of resilience.

Their 6.12 (48) to 5.6 (36) victory was far from pretty but it was sweet revenge for a round one loss to the Magpies, and tipped their opponents out of the top three.

"We probably had to win in the way we did today but I was rapt, it was really good," EWK coach Matt Hard said, pointing to the fact that missed opportunities meant they had to do it the hard way.

"Just the effort and the commitment to each other. I thought they pressured the opposition really well. Again, our kicking is letting us down but we didn't drop our heads today."

The Hawks shot themselves in the foot in the first quarter when they dominated play, only to kick 1.7 and at least one out on the full.

What might have been a 20 or 30 point lead at quarter time was instead just 12 against a disappointing Magpies who copped a spray from co-coach Heath Russell at quarter-time.

The 'Pies lifted after the break, with the breeze, but the Hawks were committed to protecting what little lead they'd built and limited TRYC to two goals.

That meant a 14-all scoreline at half-time and the three goals kicked was less than the number of times a dog had interrupted play in the first quarter.

The 'Pies began with intent into the wind after half-time and led by a goal after a great mark and kick from Todd Hannam.

But the Hawks made the most of their chances this time, kicking four goals straight for the quarter for an 18 point lead, including a couple of beauties to Jeremy Piercy and Harrison Leddin, and two more after free kicks.

Two Brocke Argus behinds stretched it to 20 early in the last before Dean Biermann came into the game for the 'Pies. His two goals narrowed the margin to seven points setting the scene for nerve-wracking last 10 minutes.

The teams traded two behinds each before a Piercy tackle forced a turnover up forward and Alex Rogers kicked a match-sealing goal.

The return of Rogers and Luke Cuthbert was valuable for the Hawks but Harry Fitzsimmons led the way with intensity and pressure-acts, setting the tone for an all-round team effort.

"I was happy that we stuck to our task all day, we stayed united throughout," Hard said.

Not once this year have the Hawks kicked more goals than behinds though. In their last three games, they've returned 25.44.

"We've got to hit the scoreboard. It's letting us down and we're having to fight in other areas," Hard said.

Riley Budd saw plenty of football down back for the Magpies where Aiden Ridley was impressive. Will Adams also had a big game and Cody Cool worked hard.

But the Magpies were never allowed the time to get their own game going and now have losses against all three teams above them on the ladder.

They face a dangerous trip to Coleambally next week after the Blues upset the Bushpigs, and with the Hawks facing a massive local derby against North Wagga, there's plenty on the line.

Full-time:

EWK 1.7, 1.8, 5.8, 6.12 (48)

TRYC 0.1, 2.2, 3.3, 5.6 (36)

Goals: (EWK) Ryan Bourne 2, Max Tiernan 1, Alexander Rogers 1, Harrison Leddin 1, Jeremy Piercy 1; (TRYC) Dean Biermann 2, Joseph Kerin 1, Joseph Hancock 1, Todd Hannam 1.

Best: (EWK) Harry Fitzsimmons, Kyle North-Flanagan, Luke Cuthbert, Benjamin Cadzow, Hayden Nelson, Alexander Rogers; (TRYC) Aiden Ridley, William Adams, Joseph Hancock, Dylan Cook, Jordan Kemp, Cody Cool.

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