Boy, that was close! The boys in brown and gold can thank their lucky stars that wayward kicking — and Adelaide’s ability to hang in there — didn’t ruin their preliminary final party.
The win paves the way for Saturday’s first Hawthorn versus Sydney grand final at the MCG.
It was a fitting finale, but how close it came. The Hawks rode the tide of favouritism into the match courtesy of big late-season wins and the charisma of its forward stars. ‘Buddy’ Franklin, Jarryd Roughead, Sam Mitchell and Brad Sewell lived up to their reputations by mounting waves of forward thrusts which were somehow denied by poor conversion, and then watched as a gutsy Adelaide fought its way back into the match.
Although dominating the inside 50s, the Hawks couldn’t manufacture a winning score, while Adelaide kept posting its own majors to stay in the hunt. It was like the tale of the tortoise and the hare: the plodding Adelaide making up ground here, quenching a Hawk fire front there, but always staying in the frame ready to snatch an unlikely victory.
Down by 22 points midway through the third quarter and seemingly out of the contest — as had been preordained by the Hawks’ pre-match favouritism — the Crows hit the lead with minutes to go when Taylor Walker converted a set shot and the unthinkable was staring the Hawks in the face. But, as the Hawks rallied to snuff out the late charge, the dourness surfaced and the team of brown and gold held on for a heart-stopping victory.
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