\u2018I\u2019m so grateful\u2019: Emotions spill over as resilient Swans respond in \u2018terrific representation\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cExpecting the best really,\u201d Hardwick said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got that when we played here last time, they really turned it on in that last quarter and I don\u2019t think they\u2019ve lost at home this season, so we\u2019re expecting the best.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey finished on top of the ladder for a reason and we\u2019ll have to be on our A-game.\u201d<\/p>\n
While \u2018Wharfie Time\u2019 has become part of Fremantle folklore this season, Hardwick admitted the phenomenon had barely registered with him at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, I didn\u2019t know what that was all about,\u201d Hardwick said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it ever happened, I\u2019m sometimes going to be sleepy up the back, so I\u2019m not sure if I missed that one, but when that came out, I was as confused as anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell was far more aware of the challenge awaiting his side when speaking during his post-game press conference, particularly the advantage Fremantle has earned by finishing on top of the ladder.<\/p>\n
PERTH, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 23: Jai Newcombe of the Hawks is down with a slinger tackle during the round 24 AFL match between West Coast Eagles and Hawthorn Hawks at Optus Stadium, on August 23, 2026, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Janelle St Pierre\/AFL Photos\/via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
But Mitchell also delivered a warning of his own.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re a hard side to beat anywhere. They\u2019ve been a great team for the whole season and they deserve to have a home final,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut a home final doesn\u2019t make a win, so it\u2019s our challenge to come here and get the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n
It will be Hawthorn\u2019s third trip to Perth this season, and while Mitchell played down how much of an advantage that familiarity provides, he was adamant the Hawks would return believing they can win.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt certainly doesn\u2019t hurt, I guess. Does it give us a significant advantage? Of course not,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still their home ground, but we\u2019ll go into the game confident that our best will get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sunday night also provided an early dress rehearsal for what awaits, although Hardwick expects the qualifying final to look vastly different from the wet-weather battle against West Coast.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe conditions were interesting for the most part of the game,\u201d Hardwick said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDidn\u2019t really expect those conditions, but the boys adjusted well and turned it into a bit of a territory game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure in two weeks it will probably look like a different game to that.<\/p>\n
We are absolutely on the right path | 08:20<\/p>\n
\u201cNice little dress rehearsal, I guess, and come back in two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before then, Hawthorn has the luxury of a week off to freshen up after a long home-and-away campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe get a few days off now. Just relax. I\u2019ll relax with my partner and little one,\u201d Hardwick said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice to have a week off. It feels like a long season at the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of games, so it\u2019s nice to have a break and then attack the Thursday night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell is also determined to ensure his players don\u2019t spend the entire break thinking about Fremantle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe players, it\u2019s important not to play the game before you get there,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to refine our own game, do some learning, get some good training in, which will be great, and then come over here ready to play.\u201d<\/p>\n
When they do, Mitchell knows exactly what will be waiting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe prepare for every environment that we play in and we\u2019re obviously going to be in a hostile environment filled with purples, so we\u2019ll be ready for that,\u201d Mitchell said.<\/p>\n
The Hawks came to Perth needing a victory to secure the double chance.<\/p>\n
Next time they arrive, the stakes will be considerably higher.<\/p>\n
A hostile Optus Stadium, the minor premiers and possibly another dose of \u2018Wharfie Time\u2019 stand between Hawthorn and a home preliminary final.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hawthorn got what it needed from its final home-and-away game of the season. Now the real challenge begins.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":865924,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-865923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=865923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/865924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=865923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=865923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=865923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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