AFLW semi-finals: Hawthorn vs Port Adelaide, result, news and full stats

Port Adelaide has produced the greatest last-quarter comeback in AFLW history to stun Hawthorn and earn a preliminary final shot at flag favourite North Melbourne.

Ed Bourke

@edbourke6

3 min read

November 16, 2024 - 10:50PM

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Playing “four quarters of our best football” is overrated. Sometimes you only need to show up for one.

Port Adelaide and coach Lauren Arnell have saved their best until last in their miracle third season, producing the biggest final-term comeback in AFLW history to stun Hawthorn in a one-point semi-final win at Ikon Park.

The Power went to the final break trailing by 22 points with the Hawks destined for a preliminary final berth – and the competition record for the most inside 50s in a game.

What the visitors then produced was remarkable – 12 consecutive clearance wins to start the final term, peppering the goals as star midfielder Abbey Dowrick roared to life with seven disposals and two goals.

Dowrick snapped out of congestion to cut the margin to eight points, before Gemma Houghton kicked her second midway through the term to give the Power a whiff of a comeback.

When Matilda Scholz coolly converted a set shot after winning a ruck free kick from a boundary throw-in, the margin was a single point.

Ashleigh Saint celebrates on the final siren. Picture: Michael Klein

An emotional Lauren Arnell after the final siren. Picture: Michael Klein

DOWRICK PUTS THE POWER IN FRONT!#AFLWFinals | #AFLWHawksPower pic.twitter.com/k2vkrwQGHP
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) November 16, 2024

Hawthorn missed a golden chance to kick clear again when Lou Stephenson decided to soccer the ball off the ground instead of going for a pick-up when she led Power defenders back towards the Hawks’ goal.

Instead Port went down the other end for Dowrick to put them in front, their surge football bringing the second-placed side completely unstuck.

Jasmine Fleming, who was the Hawks’ best all night, burst through a stoppage to engineer a goal against the run of play to Kaitlyn Ashmore, but a rushed behind down the other end levelled the scores with just over 90 seconds left.

Teenager Sachi Syme, who hit the post with a booming set shot three minutes earlier, will forever remember her sixth disposal in this game – a wayward shot on the run which did enough to give the Power a one-point advantage with 85 seconds to play.

But it was despair for the Hawks on the siren. Picture: Michael Klein

Dowrick fittingly leapt to take a chest mark on the wing and ice the game as the Power sealed a remarkable eight consecutive wins and booked a Saturday preliminary final at the same venue against North Melbourne.

Power coach Lauren Arnell said the final five minutes had simply felt like a “blur”.

“I think the first two years of us being in this competition has been the best preparation for us (in close games),” she said.

“There’s so much learning for our crew, and so much belief off the back of some really hard times.

“It’s the beauty of sport – you go through some pretty tough stuff, and once you go through some hard times and learn the lessons that you need to, you get onto the good end.”

IT'S A ONE-POINT GAME ðŸ‘€#AFLWFinals | #AFLWHawksPower pic.twitter.com/KDziNwkoKa
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) November 16, 2024

The Hawks will be left to soul-search after a straight-sets exit following their 10-1 regular season.

They were hurt forward of the ball when Aine McDonagh was forced from the field in the third quarter with a nasty cut to her left hand after being accidentally trod on by Amelie Borg.

But woeful inaccuracy was their biggest enemy – no side had previously lost an AFLW game after registering more than 50 forward entries for the match.

Despondent first-year coach Daniel Webster told his side after the game to let the pain fuel their approach to next season.

“We’re here to win games, and we didn’t do that, so it’s going to hurt for a while, this one,” he said.

“I’m proud of the group, proud of the effort … but (I told the players) also to let the feelings sink in. This needs to drive the group next year. Because when things get tough, you need to find that extra gear and you need that motivation. That’s the lesson we need to learn.”

“To cough up a lead like that and get run over late in the game … there’s big, big lessons there. We probably should have been a lot further in front had we kicked straight and sorted our front-half stuff out … it’s just hard.”