The end came with a thud for Hawthorn against the Western Bulldogs, writes Mark Robinson

THE end came with a thud, as it always does. What could have been history in the making disappeared at the MCG on Friday night.

Josh Gibson and Luke Hodge following Hawthorn’s loss to the Bulldogs.

THE end came with a thud, as it always does.

And so it was with Hawthorn. What could have been history in the making disappeared at the MCG on Friday night.

Those mighty Hawks, the winners of three consecutive premierships, were hurled out of the AFL finals series by a team hellbent on making its own history.

The Western Bulldogs are not sexy — they’re magic.

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They play footy with fury, abandon and a relentlessness that is wonderful to watch. And, boy, do they have ticker.

The Bulldogs trailed by four goals halfway through the second term, led by four goals at three-quarter time and were ahead by 23 points at the final siren.

Luke Hodge walks from the MCG. Picture: George Salpigtidis

It was insane, swarming footy led by a bunch of kids and a rock star named Jake Stringer.

The Hawks used to play like that before they became the thinking man’s team.

Friday night it was more stop-start, sideways, careful football, which their personnel helps dictate, but which plenty of commentators — however carefully they put it — had predicted wouldn’t get them too far. They were right.

The Hawks were good for a long time, mind you. For three years they were the best, most skilled, most ruthless and huge in the big moments, but not any more.

And it happened quickly.

Nearing the end of an invigorating 2½ quarters, Hawthorn’s run wasn’t so much stopped as pulverised.

The upstart Bulldogs, who resemble the unsociable Hawks of yesteryear even more than the modern-day Hawks, grabbed the baton and beat the Hawks over the head with it.

The first goal of the last quarter to Tory Dickson, who was skittish early in front of goals, ended the contest.

The Hawks didn’t rally, but they didn’t lie down either.

There was plenty of feeling in Friday night’s clash. Picture: Getty Images.

Instinct and pride pushed them, but as they watched every tackle, every contested-ball win, every time they were outnumbered around the ground, they knew the greatest of escapes was beyond them.

The tackled their hearts out, for they weren’t going to give up without a scrap. But the new breed, the new Bulldogs, taught the champs a lesson.

The Bulldogs won the clearances (42-34) and contested ball as expected (161-111), but their most dangerous forward, Stringer, provided much of the momentum. He had one touch in the first quarter and 14 and three goals at the final siren.

When this kid gets the ball, the crowd erupts. He’s the rock star of this outfit, but he would be nothing without his teammates.

Jack Macrae (39 touches) ran his guts out, Liam Picken was a beast again and Marcus Bontempelli won the most clearances.

But it’s players such as Toby McLean and Josh Dunkley, both magnificent Friday night as forward-mids, who underline just how many Dogs make a contribution.

The best aspect of last night’s win was the Bulldogs’ ability to smell death.

When Stringer capitalised on his team’s dominance in the third term, and his goal gave the Bulldogs the lead for the first time, the Dogs didn’t protect their lead. They went for the throat.

Jordan Roughead, McLean, Stringer again and Bontempelli opened up the game with four straight goals and the game, and a dynasty, was over.

Jake Stringer is a rock star for the Bulldogs. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

When the Hawks announced skipper Luke Hodge, Josh Gibson and Shaun Burgoyne would join Sam Mitchell in playing on in 2017, who would have thought they would be straight sets and out?

The Bulldogs’ brand is strong, quick and relentless, and the Hawks’ brand is not.

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They probably can’t go again with the same group. They need more run. They will get Jarryd Roughead back, fingers crossed; Jaeger O’Meara will get there, as might Tom Mitchell, but the latter pair aren’t quick.

The Dogs’ last preliminary final was in 2010, when they lost to St Kilda by 24 points. Matthew Boyd, Dale Morris, Easton Wood and Picken are the only survivors. It is a huge transformation, and an exciting one, for these Dogs.

They play the Giants and though it will require a huge effort, a win is not beyond them. Not if they play like last night.

Originally published as The end came with a thud for Hawthorn against the Western Bulldogs, writes Mark Robinson