With wind buffeting Tahuna Park, and intermittent showers of freezing rain, simple tactics were always going to win the game, and both teams took that path.
Pirates struggled to hold on to the wet ball early in the game, knocking on from the kick-off, and was lucky to hold the opposition out.
As the ball was dropped all over the park, it was the Hawks who began, after about 10 minutes, to complete sets and start to ask questions of the opposition through their kicking game.
The Hawks eventually came up with a penalty close to the line and, after two plays, big forward Opini To'omalatai bumped through the opposition to score.
Both teams settled into their work, with Pirates desperately trying to get over the defence with bombs, or around it by sending the ball through the backs, but neither tactic worked.
Strangely, it was a 10-minute stint in the sin bin for a Hawks player for a tackle infringement after 30 minutes that sparked his team up.
With only 12 men on the paddock, the Hawks got the ball in the attack zone after Pirates dropped a clearing kick, and prop Hisa Sasagi was just too big for the Pirates defenders to stop, crashing over the line near the posts.
As halftime approached, the Hawks made a break down the right-hand side and, after a series of basketball-style passes, centre Jamie Williams found himself with the ball, nobody in front, and dotted down.
Bryce Hosie kicked all three goals, including a sideline special, making the half-time score 18-0.
Pirates hit back early in the second spell, with halfback Steve Bruce jinking through for a well-deserved four pointer but, not long after, Hawks captain Isaac Beach took a beautiful short pass from his halfback, Te Ate Jackson, to stretch the lead to 24-6.
The Hawks stayed the dominant team, with some gritty goal-line defence as Pirates threw everything they had to get back in the game, and stayed in front to win 28-12.
Hawks coach Rima Smith pronounced himself "stoked" after the game, putting the win down to "the little community we got going" during the seven-week season.
He gave special mention to his captain, Beach, for his efforts during the game.
Rugby League southern zone member, Sport Otago chief executive John Brimble, said at the presentation a full season would take the place of the shorter seven-week competition in 2011.
"League's on the up and up," he said.
In earlier games, the third-placed South Pacific Raiders beat the fourth-placed South City Dragonz 42-20 and the Kaikorai Silverbacks, which ended the season fifth, beat the sixth-placed Pirates MT 48-24.
