There were few positives for the Gold Coast SUNS that came out of a dark and dismal day in Launceston, in more ways than one, but one bright spot was the return of Jesse Lonergan.

Playing his first AFL match in his home city, Lonergan entered the fray in the third quarter as a substitute for defender Greg Broughton, with Hawthorn running rampant after a tight contest throughout most of the first half.

The bullocking midfielder showed an appetite for the contest and looked tailor-made for wet weather footy.

He finished with 10 disposals, five clearances and five tackles; more-than-solid returns given he played less than half-a-game.

The Tasmanian’s short career at the top level has been blighted by wrist and hamstring injuries, but coach Guy McKenna singled him out after his first senior game for 2014 for his efforts after shedding the green vest.

“We know, because he’s a solid boy - I mean, you look at the size of him - he’s built for those conditions,” McKenna said.

“He was clean, composed, and so that was certainly one of the positives to come out of the game.

“I don’t think he’s let us down.”

Despite the heavy loss, McKenna reserved praise for his midfield group.

While skipper Gary Ablett was his customary brilliant self, picking up 45 touches, Jaeger O’Meara excelled in the torrid conditions showing a clean set of hands on a number of occasions in the first half, while David Swallow was industrious in and around packs.

Despite this, McKenna pointed to the contested possession count – won 172–149 by the Hawks – as one of the primary reasons why the premiers won the game.

“The ones we won, we weren’t clean with; the ones they won, they were clean and they banged it in.”