MCG -- Hawthorn has won its first AFL final in nine years, overwhelming the Western Bulldogs by 37 points in front of 97,828 people to stake its claim as a legitimate premiership chance.
The Hawks will battle the Power at Adelaide Oval next Friday night in a semifinal, while the Bulldogs have now lost a third consecutive final.
Here's three things we learned from this game:
Hawthorn can definitely win this year's premiership
When it comes to foreshadowing an AFL premier, there's a little, albeit unscientific test worth undertaking. Shut your eyes and imagine every club's captain standing on the dais in the middle of the MCG holding the premiership cup aloft. For some of those captains, it seems totally farfetched. For others, you really can convince yourself it will soon become a reality.
James Sicily fell firmly into the latter category before these finals got underway. And after Hawthorn booked its spot in the semifinals, it only feels more realistic.
The Hawks are checking every box in 2024. They're in red-hot form. They're expertly coached. Both their stars and lesser lights are contributing. And they know that should the make the Grand Final it would be on their home deck, where at times they simply look unbeatable.
Of course, no team has won the premiership from outside the top four since the Bulldogs achieved the feat in 2016, but this season, as has been remarked on countless occasions, is as open as any in recent memory. And it might just mean that form at the right time trumps the benefit of the double chance.
Despite playing away from home, the Hawks will likely start as favourite next week against a Power side that suffered arguably its worst loss of the Ken Hinkley era on Thursday night. They may also be without star midfielder Zak Butters, who was subbed out at halftime with a rib injury.
If they pass that test, it would then be a trip to Sydney to face either the Swans or Giants for a spot in the Grand Final.
The Hawks were ready for September and their game style held up magnificently
Perhaps the most significant query many had over the Hawks' premiership credentials was whether or not their momentum had been halted at precisely the wrong time.
Hawthorn finished the home-and-away season in dominant fashion, scoring five 60-point wins from their final six games to become just the third team to achieve that feat during any six-game stretch in league history. The problem? It meant they hadn't really been properly tested after halftime of any match since the two-point loss to the Giants in Round 22, some 33 days ago.
Speaking of things these Hawks weren't accustomed to ... Friday night footy. Heck night footy, period. Before this elimination final, they had played just one night game in their past 54 outings and hadn't had a Friday night contest at the MCG since Round 16, 2019. How would they fare in what was expected to be a tight, tense final? Would there be jitters, nervousness or uncertainty?
The Hawks enjoyed the territory dominance early but struggled to generate reward on the scoreboard. But in the second quarter, it all began to click. They cashed in with five goals to turn a 13-point deficit into a 10-point lead, before blowing the game open in the second half.
As expected, Hawthorn's game wasn't built on clearance. At one point in the second term the Bulldogs lead them in that department 23-11. Instead, when the ball hit the outside, they hunted in packs, then spread to the wide expanses of the MCG and punished the turnovers. They ran in waves, their overlap and straight line attacks causing all sorts of issues for the Bulldogs.
In the second half, the Hawks began winning those clearances, taking away the Bulldogs' greatest strength while maintaining their own prowess on the outside. It was over.
By fulltime, the Hawks had utterly humiliated the Bulldogs, particularly their engine room. They finished +24 in contested possession, +20 in inside 50s, +82 in disposals, +31 in marks, and +18 in intercepts. Yep, fair to say that game style stacks up in September.
Sam Mitchell is without question the coach of the year
Plaudits were deservedly thrown at the feet of Chris Scott after Thursday night's masterful performance at Adelaide Oval, but Sam Mitchell simply has to be the runaway winner for coach of the year honours.
Mitchell's year has been quite remarkable. He overcame a swathe of key injuries and a brutal early winless stretch to have the Hawks -- a side that finished 2023 in 16th place -- the most in form team in the competition entering finals. Hawthorn closed the season with 14 wins from its last 18 games, and without Darcy Byrne-Jones' last-gasp goal at Adelaide Oval in Round 11, they finish second on the ladder and host a qualifying final at the MCG.
This game against the Bulldogs could easily have been just that. Luke Beveridge's side entered September with the second-most impressive close to the season and, like Hawthorn, had many bullish about a deep finals run if they could navigate this tricky elimination final. Mitchell's Hawks made them look pedestrian.
The four-time premiership player-turned-coach has encouraged his young group to play with flair, freedom, and dare. And they've relished it. They're energetic. They're dynamic. They're brash and exciting, while still maintaining somewhat of a measured approach. He's given his playing group a license and they're thriving.
You feel that under Mitchell's expert tutelage, the Hawks are going to be a perennial finalist. Who knows, maybe more.