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HOW HAWKS CAN LEARN FROM LIONS IN \u2018BITTERSWEET\u2019 REALITY AS NEXT MOVES LOOM<\/p>\n
For the second consecutive season, it\u2019s agonising preliminary final heartbreak for Hawthorn. <\/p>\n
This year\u2019s elimination is more debilitating than last year\u2019s, given the circumstances, but it nevertheless shunts the Hawks back to the drawing board. <\/p>\n
They can take a page out of the Lions\u2019 book, though, after Chris Fagan\u2019s club failed in six finals before finally breaking through to a grand final berth in 2023. <\/p>\n
And even in that September campaign three years ago, Brisbane fell over at the final hurdle against Collingwood. The rest, since then, is history. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s the sort of trajectory the Hawks hope they\u2019re also on as they strive for a final-four breakthrough under Sam Mitchell, who just capped his fifth season \u2014 and third finals campaign \u2014 in charge. <\/p>\n
After a barnstorming fourth-quarter comeback, Hawthorn had the back-to-back reigning premiers on the ropes at the MCG before a controversial late free kick paid against Jarman Impey tipped Saturday\u2019s prelim on its head. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s that indescribably small margin between finals despair and elation that leaves the Hawks with a \u201cbittersweet\u201d feeling.<\/p>\n
“It hurts and it burns!” | 11:12<\/p>\n
\u201cThey know that they\u2019ll grow, but this was a team that had (the Lions) at their mercy with 40 seconds to go, and they would have been into a home ground final against a team in Fremantle that has not been here for 13 years,\u201d Fox Footy\u2019s Jon Ralph said post-game on Saturday night. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo, that\u2019s the challenge, but obviously the upside is that, as Rob McCartney, the club\u2019s football boss, told me pre-match: \u2018Even if we lose this game, we\u2019re learning the lessons of Brisbane\u2019. <\/p>\n
\u201cBrisbane had so many finals losses \u2026 and everyone thought they would never get there. <\/p>\n
\u201cHawthorn, in this premiership build, is only three seasons in, but the likes of Watson are only three years into their own build as well. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so, they just know that if they keep knocking on this door, that at some stage it will crack open for a team that has won four flags since 2008.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that door of premiership contention is set to be smashed off its hinges following the Hawks\u2019 looming offseason moves. <\/p>\n
Because now, like 16 other AFL clubs, Hawthorn moves into acquisition mode. <\/p>\n
Spearhead goalkicker Ben King is set to arrive as a restricted free agent, while Essendon ex-captain Zach Merrett is set to join him as marquee additions in the player movement period. <\/p>\n
King is set to sign with Hawthorn on a seven-year deal worth over $9 million across its lifetime, joining a first-choice forward line that already boasts Jack Gunston, Mitch Lewis and Mabior Chol. <\/p>\n
The Suns are expected to land Pick 7 as free agency compensation, with the Hawks holding their natural first-rounder and three second-rounders to try and deal with the Bombers for Merrett. <\/p>\n
Injured midfielder Conor Nash will also act as a new recruit next year after missing close to two-thirds of this season. <\/p>\n
Lions survive thriller to stay alive | 04:43<\/p>\n
The uncertainty remains around the future of ascending key forward Calsher Dear, who hasn\u2019t yet made a call amid contract offers from Hawthorn and Melbourne, and interest also from Collingwood and Geelong. <\/p>\n
\u201cBen King comes in, seven-year deal, that\u2019s a certainty it will get done. Pick seven will be the compensation pick that will be the centrepiece of that,\u201d Ralph said on Fox Footy. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then Zach Merrett \u2026 It\u2019ll be a four-year deal on $4 million. It will effortlessly get done. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf Pick 7 is the centrepiece for that King deal, well, they\u2019ve already got this year\u2019s first rounder and then three second-rounders, even before you start thinking about \u201827 and \u201828 first-rounders. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then even if they lose Calsher Dear, and they\u2019re not prepared to lose him, but he is obviously being offered longer-term deals (including at the Demons), they\u2019ll keep Noah Mraz, they\u2019ll keep Aidan Schubert, and we know they have so many young kids coming through. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then they\u2019ll get to an off-season contract extension for Will Day, who\u2019s been keen to park that contract but in the off-season, as Rob McCartney says, (they\u2019re) very confident that there will be a long-term extension coming there.\u201d<\/p>\n
THE MOMENT UMPIRING FINALLY WAS \u2018AS GOOD AS IT\u2019S EVER BEEN\u2019<\/p>\n
Two years ago, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon famously said the league\u2019s umpiring was \u201cas good as it\u2019s ever been\u201d.<\/p>\n
The comment did not go down well. But there\u2019s a saying we like about making predictions in sport.<\/p>\n
Never wrong, just early.<\/p>\n
Because Dillon was absolutely right… if he\u2019s purely talking about how the umpires handled the final 90 seconds of Brisbane\u2019s epic preliminary final win over Hawthorn.<\/p>\n
Bottles thrown at umpires post match | 01:21<\/p>\n
Three critical decisions were made in the lead-up to Hugh McCluggage\u2019s game-winning goal and, with a partisan Hawks crowd cheering the other way, they were not easy calls to make.<\/p>\n
Because while calling free kicks in the heat of the moment isn\u2019t brave when compared to many others in society, it was brave in an umpiring sense to blow the whistle – upholding the rules at a time when fans so often want the whistle put away.<\/p>\n
First, there was the Mitch Lewis deliberate out of bounds call, when the Hawks key forward failed to take possession of a bouncing ball down the Shane Warne Stand wing from Jack Ginnivan.<\/p>\n
The ball pinged off Lewis\u2019 hands; and it\u2019s not so much that he did anything wrong, but he proved unable to take possession meant the free kick was paid against Ginnivan.<\/p>\n
It followed an adjustment to the last disposal rule earlier this season, which prevented players from circumventing the rule by touching a disposal just before it went out.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s no consolation for Hawthorn but until round 3 Mitch Lewis could take the ball over the line like that in the last 90 seconds,\u201c the Herald Sun\u2019s Jon Ralph tweeted on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen players were diving for the line just to get a fingernail on the ball to avoid a lasso free kick.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the AFL changed the rule mid-season to ensure a player had to attempt to bring the ball back in rather than escorting it out.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately for the Hawks it reared its head in the dying seconds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis: ‘That’s the wrong call’ | 01:02<\/p>\n
Moments later close to the centre of the ground, Dayne Zorko was collected high by Josh Weddle.<\/p>\n
And while the contact wasn\u2019t much, it was definitely there, with the ball being called back from Brisbane\u2019s forward 50 to the confusion of those in attendance.<\/p>\n
That was followed by the most dramatic, and important, call in recent footy history.<\/p>\n
Collingwood has made an art of avoiding holding-the-ball free kicks under coach Craig McRae but perhaps Sam Mitchell (who had interest from the Pies before McRae was hired, leading to the Hawks pushing out Alastair Clarkson and hiring Mitchell) hasn\u2019t done the same work at training.<\/p>\n
So when Jarman Impey took possession inside the defensive 50 and was immediately tackled by Hugh McCluggage, Impey and his teammates failed to cover him up.<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t gang-tackled to force a stoppage. And he didn\u2019t dispose of the ball, despite having just one arm pinned.<\/p>\n
Holding the ball. Free kick Lions.<\/p>\n
“The biggest call you have ever seen!” | 00:41<\/p>\n
Had it not been paid, the Hawks were likely to advance to a Grand Final. And with it paid, the Lions were likely to advance – with McCluggage still needing to kick truly under immense pressure to ensure it.<\/p>\n
With all of that context it was one of the best umpiring decisions in footy history. Brisbane would have been robbed if it had been missed.<\/p>\n
And, for what it\u2019s worth, the biggest (and perhaps only) umpiring mistake in the last five minutes of the prelim actually went Hawthorn\u2019s way.<\/p>\n
That was when Harris Andrews was pushed in the back as he went into the pack, attempting to stop Mitch Lewis\u2019 incredible contested mark from which he goalled to put the Hawks up with minutes left.<\/p>\n
We want the best of the best involved in the biggest games, and from an umpiring perspective, that\u2019s exactly what we got. They deserve credit.<\/p>\n
‘No team deserved to lose tonight’ | 11:09<\/p>\n
\u2018KEY PIECES OF THE PUZZLE\u2019: DOCKERS STARS PROVE WHY YOU GO ALL IN <\/p>\n
There\u2019s a reason you go all in on stars during the trade and free agency period. <\/p>\n
Luke Jackson and Shai Bolton showed why. <\/p>\n
The star Dockers recruits delivered for Justin Longmuir\u2019s side as match winners on the preliminary final stage to lead the club to second ever grand final. <\/p>\n
Jackson, the highest-rated player on the ground against Sydney, booted two goals with 15 disposals, eight score involvements and 27 hit-outs in an intriguing ruck battle with Brodie Grundy. <\/p>\n
It made Jackson the first player record 15-plus disposals, 10-plys hit-outs to advantage and two-plus goals in a prelim.<\/p>\n
Bolton, Freo\u2019s second highest rated player, kicked two goals from 20 touches, eight tackles and seven score involvements as one of the prime movers through the midfield that turned the game.<\/p>\n
The dual All-Australian and two-time premiership Tiger was particularly crucial in Freo\u2019s fourth quarter comeback, with his player rating double the next best in the period.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is why (Bolton) was brought to the club\u2026 he\u2019s a match winner,\u201d Saints great Leigh Montagna told Fox Footy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat he was able to do in the fourth quarter, to be able to turn the tide and the weight of numbers in the end, it was just too much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Freo comeback sinks Swans in epic prelim | 03:21<\/p>\n
All up, the Dockers gave away five first-round picks (though got one back in the Bolton deal) to secure both players; Jackson in 2022 and Bolton in 2024. <\/p>\n
Fair to say they\u2019d do both deals again in a heartbeat … and even quicker than that if the Dockers salute next Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are full club things, premierships,\u201d Kangaroos legend David King said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a club that\u2019s gone out and targeted (Luke) Jackson and we\u2019ve seen what he\u2019s doing this year and tonight, and targeted Bolton \u2013 and we see the impact when you have to have it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a full club achievement to get to a grand final.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dockers list boss David Walls deserves so much credit for his leading role in Freo\u2019s rise.<\/p>\n
As important as nailing some of those high draft picks was in the years the club was down the ladder, identifying the right talent to recruit from other clubs \u2014 and securing them \u2014 is equally vital. <\/p>\n
Longmuir praises battle-hardened Dockers | 12:39<\/p>\n
It\u2019d be remiss not to mention Jordan Clark as another key recruit that only cost the Dockers Pick 22, while the likes of Judd McVee, Maxon Cox, Jaeger O\u2019Meara and Jeremy Sharp were also brought in from other clubs.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to identify what you\u2019re missing as a club and what you need to take those next steps to get to where you want to go,\u201d Hawthorn champion Jason Dunstall said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easier to identify than actually fill the needs, but they\u2019ve gone out and found some really key pieces to their puzzle in the players you\u2019re talking about in Jackson and Bolton in particular.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve given them an enormous boost.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve handpicked players that play specific roles and its had a huge impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve set themselves up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Young nails it from the sideline! | 00:28<\/p>\n
Jackson was full of praise for his fellow recruit on Friday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why we get players like that to your footy club that are a point of difference,\u201d Jackson said of Bolton.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s another player out there like Bolts to be honest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can chuck him in the middle for two minutes and might change the manner of the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had impact up forward, taken some crucial marks, he\u2019s up there with one of my favourites teammates. I love playing with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
PULLMAN FIVE WILL \u2018NEVER BE FORGIVEN\u2019 IN BRUTAL REALITY CHECK<\/p>\n
An AFL legend has declared Sydney\u2019s \u2018Pullman Five\u2019 will \u201cnever be forgiven\u201d for compromising the club\u2019s 2026 premiership drive amid questions of their futures.<\/p>\n
Sydney was brave in its fade-out preliminary final loss to Fremantle but ultimately ran out of steam and didn\u2019t have the starpower to match the Dockers when the game was on the line.<\/p>\n
Dean Cox\u2019s undermanned side galvanised in the aftermath of the Pullman scandal, which saw Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice stood down for the rest of the season, including an improbable qualifying final win over Brisbane. <\/p>\n
They played with a renewed defensive intent and passion that at times made you think it didn\u2019t matter who was wearing the Swans guernsey with the complete buy in across the board. <\/p>\n
But as brave as they were, that can only get you so far. You still need the stars and personnel to match and deliver in big moments. <\/p>\n
Suspended Swans expected for pre-season | 00:53<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want to commend the Swans, the players that are out there. They could not have given any more. They would be that proud of the players that are out there. But then also now that\u2019s where the fallout\u2019s going to be big,\u201d Bombers great Matthew Lloyd said on 3AW post-match. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where it does turn and (teammates) say: \u2018You cost us. We were good enough, we were more than good enough\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people say: \u2018Can they ever play for the Swans again because of this?\u2019. They\u2019ll never be forgiven because (premierships are) that hard to win, and they were there. They should have been there next week.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuddenly, blame will start. For the players that are out there, the staff, you can see they are distraught. Five goals four to one behind in the last quarter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cox rues missed chances in Freo defeat | 09:52<\/p>\n
Those five players, specifically Heeney, Warner and Blakey, would\u2019ve sure been handy in that 12-point prelim loss to Freo.<\/p>\n
No doubt Swans would be left pondering: \u2018Imagine if we had Heeney and Warner in those pivotal midfield contests?\u2019<\/p>\n
Or: \u2018We could\u2019ve used a Blakey dash across halfback during those key moments in the fourth quarter\u2019<\/p>\n
Swans chairman Andrew Pridham sensationally said last month the Pullman incident \u201ctorpedoed\u201d their season.<\/p>\n
While most Swans fans would\u2019ve been filled with pride with how their side responded, the comment might\u2019ve ultimately rung true.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a campaign that was lost from a Sydney point of view \u2026 on August 16, not September 18,\u201d dual premiership Kangaroo David King said on Fox Footy post-match.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were undermanned in the middle \u2026 at times in the last quarter, you felt for Sydney.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey just couldn\u2019t cover the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
“Absolutely floored!” Neale down early! | 00:38<\/p>\n
BETTER THAN CYRIL? STUNNING WIZARD LANDMARK LAID BARE<\/p>\n
Outshone by the outcome of Saturday\u2019s chaotic final quarter was Nick Watson\u2019s unforgettable, landmark performance. <\/p>\n
The 21-year-old always figured to have a big say in proceedings, but few would have predicted a career-high six-goal haul in a preliminary final. <\/p>\n
And if not for a Brisbane heist at the death, the Wizard would have owned \u2018matchwinner\u2019 status after a spellbinding stint. <\/p>\n
Irresistible at forward-50 stoppage and groundball, Watson kicked a staggering 6.2 from 16 disposals \u2014 12 contested \u2014 including 11 score involvements and five clearances. <\/p>\n
He finished the game as the highest-rated player on the ground. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to keep an eye on and just isolate and watch this guy and what he does around the footy, because at top pace when he gets it, it\u2019s incredible what he does,\u201d Geelong champion Tom Hawkins said post-match on Fox Footy. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s his work and diligence away from the footy that allows these opportunities. Yes, hard-working, seems to be in the right spots at the right times, but it\u2019s off the back of a great footy nous.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is a marvel to watch, and one of the most exciting players \u2014 even at his young age \u2014 that I think I\u2019ve watched live.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s just so dynamic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nick Watson’s late wizardry | 00:34<\/p>\n
It left plenty coming away from the match wondering how high the former No.5 pick\u2019s ceiling is. <\/p>\n
In just his third season, Watson kicked a staggering 63 goals from 23 games in 2026, with his by-far career-high average of 2.7 majors per game earning him his maiden All-Australian blazer as the competition\u2019s small-forward king. <\/p>\n
And according to four-time Hawthorn premiership star Jordan Lewis, he\u2019s already surpassed a legendary Hawk in at least that facet of the game. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou (Hawkins) asked me about Cyril; I think he\u2019s probably a better scorer than Cyril,\u201d Lewis, a former teammate of Rioli\u2019s, said on Fox Footy. <\/p>\n
\u201cCyril did all these things up and around the ground, but he probably didn\u2019t have the scoring prowess that Watson has.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s kicked six, and he\u2019s kicked a couple of fives (on other occasions)\u2026 if you (get) six goals (out of Watson), you think Hawthorn probably wins the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were a couple of really difficult set shots, and long set shots \u2014 but he\u2019s had a great year. He\u2019s had a really strong season.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his third AFL season in 2010, Rioli kicked 27 goals from 20 games. He never eclipsed 50 majors in a season, with his career-high tally of 47 in 2016 coming closest. <\/p>\n
That was his third-last AFL season. Watson kicked 57 regular-season goals from 22 games in year three. <\/p>\n
The silky skills and elusiveness of Rioli are hard to top, but as a devastating scorer and damaging pack-rover, Watson may have already moved past the four-time flag-winner on pure impact.<\/p>\n
McKenna emulates Messi against Hawks | 00:27<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two of the all-time prelims have sparked plenty of fallout – from the remarkable umpiring, to the revenge…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":898998,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-898997","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\/898997","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=898997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898997\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/898998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=898997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=898997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=898997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}