Hawthorn’s room had a sense of job done, nothing more, nothing less, writes Mark Robinson

IN 2013, the Hawks were out of control. Last year, it was crazy out-of-control. In 2015, it was a sense of job done, says Mark Robinson.

AFL Grand Final 2015

THE elephant in the room wasn’t even mentioned.

Not once.

Coach Alastair Clarkson said he would need to talk about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but so focused were the Hawks, almost matter-of-fact in their preparation, that the coach didn’t even raise the prospect of making history by winning a third premiership in succession.

“He actually didn’t mention it,” Isaac Smith said. “It’s been pretty clinical, it’s been, just play well and if you play well everything else will take care of itself.”

GRAND FINAL TACKLE: RECAP LIVE CHAT WITH ROBBO BELOW

Smith, who was of the game’s most influential players, said the prospect of a three-peat was not needed as motivation.

”Playing West Coast at Subiaco was a fair wake up call,” he said.

It was head down and bum up for the Hawks after that qualifying final loss. So much so that Clarkson also abandoned the Grand Final week get-together. Last year, it was held in the hills and around a fire. This year there was nothing.

“At the start of the finals, the players and coaches did gather at a bar in the city and set their goals,’’ Smith revealed.

Josh Gibson shows off the premiership cup to Hawks fans.

Josh Gibson, another of the dominant players on Saturday, was coy on the pre-finals meeting.

“We went somewhere, but I can’t say,’’ he said.

Into the city?

”Who told you? But that was it, it was the same as the camp last year, but it didn’t work too well because we lost the next week.”

Winners rooms are the best.

In 2013, after losing 2012 to Sydney, the Hawks were out of control.

Last year, the middle year of their three-peat, it was crazy out-of-control because they were the underdogs.

This year it was completely different again.

It was a sense of job done, nothing more, nothing less.

Even the buzz of 300 booming, laughing and backslapping conversations seemed low key. ”You’re right, it is composed in here,” Gibson said. “Obviously the boys are ecstatic, but I actually can’t tell you why it’s composed, but I felt the same thing.”

Football is an emotional sport, but this day seemed more clinical than emotional, like a long-term business deal had finally been put to bed and it was time appreciate it, rather than celebrate it.

“We set out at the start of the year we that wanted to win the Grand Final and we did,” Gibson said.

”I don’t think anyone is getting carried away, we know we had a job to do and I feel everyone played their role.

“We’re a pretty proud group and we’re under no illusions that were s---house that first final.

“And I think it really shows the character of the group is 1) review the game as we did, own up to all of us making mistakes and 2) then to come out and play footy like we did for the next three weeks.’’

And the three-peat?

Mark Robinson chats to Issac Smith in the Hawthorn rooms. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

”Now people can talk about the three-peat and look into that more, but for us it was about putting the exclamation mark on 2015,” he said.

“The club had challenges again with Roughy, obviously Ratts’ family and Hodgey, and just your ability to absorb those things just shows how strong we are as a group.”

Jordan Lewis is one of six players to have played in the past four premierships.

His week was different to the others, but exceptionally well planned: Beat Fremantle, fly home, be at the birth, comfort mum, get back to the club, train strongly, play hard, win the flag.

He, too was composed after the game and seemingly answered more questions about baby Freddie than the game itself.

Lewis’ father Shane noted the calmness in the rooms.

“They’ve done it so many times, they’re pretty calm about it, Jordan and the boys,” he said.

“He told me, if you go to the game and look nervous, then the younger players will look nervous too. So don’t look nervous. They all played great games, didn’t they.”

Luke Hodge walks into the coach’s room with "It’s time to hunt" on the whiteboard. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Shane Crawford, a Hawks favourite who seems to get emotional at these times, completed a hug-a-thon in the rooms.

He went to Lewis, Cyril, Birchall and most of the rest and proudly wore is Hawks T-shirt which said Play Your Role.

He can act the fool, Crawf, but his footy was first class.

He was confident of victory, he said, after observing the two teams at the end of the preliminary finals the weekend previous.

He noted when the Hawks beat Fremantle, they gathered at the race, slapped hands and walked off knowing there was one more game to be played. Whereas the Eagles, after beating North Melbourne, were cock-a-hoop to be in the grand final.

Maybe when people talk about having Grand Final experience, this is in part what they mean.

One club knew they had work to do. The other was rapt to simply qualify for the game.

“I saw them walk off, they had a steely look ... one more to go,” Crawford said.

Brett Ratten talks to Brian Lake after the Grand Final win.

Assistant coach Brett Ratten also had a steely look, but his was far, far different.

This one was for Cooper, he said, revealing he had visited the grave of his son on the morning of the game.

Cooper was killed in a car crash in August and although Ratten was warmly welcomed back into the Hawks family — and he wanted to be there — his pain has been plain to see.

Even when the siren sounded, Clarkson didn’t bask in personal triumph of a three-peat. He and the rest of the coaches box descended on Ratten.

“It was hard this morning, I wanted him to be there, and then at the end when the siren goes, a lot of reflection comes’’ Ratten said.

“We will enjoy this, but there will be moments where you feel sad, and you feel that every day. You’re always thinking of him and you just wish he was here.”

Still, Ratten is a footy person and he poured platitudes on the players. “This is three years of hard work, it’s really rewarding for the players,” he said.

Skipper Luke Hodge forsaked the main rooms for a quiet half-an-hour with his family in one of the back rooms.

Last year, Hodge was well amongst it with a beer in his hand, a Norm Smith Medal around his neck and a smile on his face. But not this year.

It had been a torrid month for the skipper. The drink-driving charge and the focus on him after the Eagles loss in the qualifying final made this year’s finals series personal in a sense.

His old man said afterwards the drink-driving situation hit his son hard.

“I’m proud of him,” he said.

In the two previous years, the Hawks rooms were still heaving at 7pm.

On Saturday night, the crowd started to thin by 6.30. At 6.40, all players, coaches and officials headed back into the coach’s room for a final acknowledgment.

Dare say, it was then when Clarkson first talked about the elephant in the room.

Three in a row in an 18-team competition is monumental.

So, what would be four in a row?

Originally published as Hawthorn’s room had a sense of job done, nothing more, nothing less, writes Mark Robinson