The Brisbane Lions beat Hawthorn by nine points in a remarkable AFL preliminary final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, ending the Hawks’ campaign after a chaotic finish and securing a place in next Saturday’s grand final against minor premiers Fremantle.
A crowd of 97,835 watched a contest that produced 39 goals, dramatic swings in momentum and four lead changes during the final seven and a half minutes. The Lions survived a late Hawthorn fightback to move within one victory of matching Leigh Matthews’ Brisbane side, which won three successive premierships from 2001 to 2003.
Hawthorn forward Nick Watson delivered six goals in the biggest match of his career, but his outstanding performance ended in heartbreak. Mitch Lewis appeared to have put the Hawks in front with a towering pack mark and goal with just over three minutes remaining, only for the Lions to reclaim the advantage in a frantic closing passage.
The decisive sequence began when Lewis was penalised for failing to show sufficient intent to keep the ball in play. Hawthorn then saw Dayne Zorko awarded a free kick for high contact before Jarman Impey was penalised for holding the ball after failing to make a genuine attempt to dispose of it.
Hugh McCluggage converted the resulting opportunity with a composed kick in the final seconds, prompting furious reactions from the Hawthorn players and supporters. Tom Barrass, James Sicily and Jack Ginnivan confronted umpire Hayden Meyer after the final siren, while sections of the crowd chanted in protest.
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell was visibly distressed after the defeat and said his players were in “mourning”. He acknowledged that he was “a long way from acceptance” and would remain in anger for some time.
“If you want to strive for great things, you will open yourself up for all sorts of emotion – the greatest of joy and the deepest of pain,” Mitchell said.
He defended the effort of his team, which had recovered from a 28-point deficit in the final term. Josh Ward was influential with his bursts from the centre, while Watson produced a career-best display on the biggest stage of his career.
“I think every one of them was happy they went to the game, was proud they wear brown and gold, and knew that we had every player leaving every step that they physically had within them out on the field,” Mitchell said.
Brisbane Lions survive Hawthorn surge
The Lions’ victory came despite Hawthorn appearing in control for long periods. Brisbane kicked seven consecutive goals across the third and fourth quarters, turning the match in its favour before the Hawks launched their late response.
Mitchell said the result could not be attributed solely to the controversial decisions at the end. Hawthorn had also been beaten out of the centre, conceding eight goals to three from clearances in a match decided by a single-digit margin.
Lions coach Chris Fagan described the contest as an “emotional roller coaster” and said his players were exhausted by the experience.
“Talk about entertainment. Whatever you paid for your ticket tonight, it was worth it. Wherever you sat, it had everything,” Fagan said.
Fagan also supported the decision against Impey, saying a Hawthorn player should be penalised if he failed to make a genuine attempt to get rid of the ball.
Hawthorn have now fallen at the preliminary-final stage for the second consecutive year, although Mitchell said the improvement from eighth place on the ladder to fourth represented significant progress. The anticipated arrivals of Ben King and Zach Merrett should strengthen the squad, but Mitchell insisted the club’s focus would be on ensuring it went further next season.
“This feeling is the pits,” Mitchell said.
