Hawthorn breaks Kennett's Curse, Geelong in classic preliminary final

IT was a preliminary final more than epic. It was historic. The Kennett Curse is over, the Hawks are into the Grand Final.

IT was a preliminary final more than epic. It was historic.

The roar at the final siren not only celebrated victory in a unforgettable and unhinged cliff-hanger, but it also celebrated the death of a modern-day mental demon.

The Kennett Curse was over, the Hawks were into the Grand Final.

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Very few times before has the MCG experienced such enormous relief and jubilation in a single moment, a guttural explosion of noise that Hawks will never forget.

And it could’ve been so heart-breakingly different.

Shaun Burgoyne

Not unexpected in a game of chances, only 30 seconds before the siren, the MCG had its heart in its mouth.

Geelong’s Travis Varcoe missed a shot at goal with 34 seconds to play, a stand and deliver drop punt from 25m, which drifted to the right.

A goal would’ve tied the score, the point made it the final margin.

Varcoe didn’t lose the game, he simply didn’t take the opportunity to win it.

The final score was 14.18 (102) to 15.7 (97).

It was masterpiece of football.

Each goal, all 29 of them, were conjured from something or someone heroic. Be it a knock-on, a tackle, a clearance, a smother, a sacrifice, or a whiff of brilliance.

Each team surged, and surged again, at times both looking the victor.

At the end it was the Hawks.

They had 64 inside 50s for 14.18, opposed to Geelong’s 42 entries for 15.7

1st Qualifying Final: Hawthorn v Geelong

They courageously and famously climbed off the canvas twice, once in the second quarter and again in the final quarter.

They trailed by 16 points in the second term and regained the lead, and trailed by 20 points at three-quarter time to win by five points.

If they lost, they would rue poor kicking, and the choker tag would haunt them for another season.

In the last quarter alone, Liam Shiels missed from 35m, Cyril Rioli around the corner from 30m, Luke Breust from 30m, and Bradley Hill from 40m.

In turn, as did all their teammates, they made amends.

Varcoe

The Hawks kicked the last three goals of the final quarter, the go-ahead from Shaun Burgoyne at the 22nd minute.

Best afield was Sam Mitchell. Thirty-eight touches, 11 clearances, eight inside 50s.

Not far behind was Jack Gunston. He kicked four goals and was the figurehead as Jarryd Roughead and Lance Franklin kicked one between them.

Everywhere there is a contribution. Grant Birchall from half-back, Burgoyne’s three goals, Bradley Hill’s run, David Hale as a forward.

The Cats, too, were mammoth.

Parting Shots - Hawks v Cats

Steve Johnson was scintillating with 32 and four goals, and Steve Motlop threatened with two goals.

It was game rewarded with tremendous contribution across the board.

The third quarter was as pulsating a quarter which has been played this year.

The Cats kicked 7.2 to 3.2, the last three goals coming in the final four minutes.

1st Preliminary finalL: Hawthorn v Geelong. Picture Wayne Ludbey

Motlop and Varcoe combined to play magic men first, then Harry Taylor crept down from wherever Taylor plays these days and kicked around the body from 20m, and Jordan Murdoch got a clinker moments before three quarter-time, an audacious right snap in Punt Rd traffic, to make the margin 20 points.

It was supposedly the championship quarter.

But the Hawks believed.

They believed from the start of the game.

The first quarter was brutal.

Selwood

The Hawks trailed by a point at the first break, despite a domination in all categories except the one that counted the most -- the scoreboard.

They led by four points at the long break, yet misses to Breust from 35m and then Roughead from five metres on the siren sapped what would have been a significant mental edge going into the third quarter.

It was strange third quarter with momentum swinging for significant periods.

The Cats would rue easy giving up easy goals. Three times the Hawks kicked goals from inside the goal square, and three times Cats players were left to answer the most often asked question in football: Who’s on him?

To be fair, it wasn’t the most important question being asked last night.

That was left to a more obvious one: Was this the best preliminary final ever?

HAWTHORN 3.5 7.8 10.10 14.18 (102)
GEELONG 4.0 7.4 14.6 15.7 (97)
Goals: Hawthorn: J Gunston 4 S Burgoyne 3 B Hill 2 D Hale 2 B Guerra L Breust L Franklin. Geelong: S Johnson 4 S Motlop 2 A Christensen C Guthrie H Taylor J Bartel J Caddy J Murdoch J Selwood N Vardy T Hawkins.
Best: Hawthorn: S Mitchell, J Gunston, S Burgoyne, D Hale, G Birchall, B Hill. Geelong: S Johnson, J Selwood, S Motlop, H Taylor, C Guthrie, M Duncan
Umpires: Mathew Nicholls, Brett Rosebury, Dean Margetts.
Crowd: 85,569 at MCG.