Hawthorn produced a stunning performance Thursday evening at Optus Stadium to upset minor premier Fremantle and advance to a second successive preliminary final.
Sam Mitchell's side will now enjoy the week off before returning to the MCG to hunt a place in the 2026 AFL Grand Final. Meanwhile, the Dockers will face the winner of Geelong and Carlton next week in a must-win semifinal.
Here are three things we learned from the game:
Hawthorn's relentless pressure can win the flag
It was a masterclass of pressure and intensity from the Hawks on Thursday evening in the west as they put the Dockers to the sword on their home deck to book their ticket to the final four once again.
The Hawks played the wet-dry conditions perfectly and completely stymied the minor premiers for four quarters. Sam Mitchell's side brought the heat from the opening siren, pressing up and hunting in packs, while never allowing their opponents a moment to breathe and settle into the contest.
They locked the ball inside their attacking forward 50 and had Fremantle's back six under siege for most of the evening, forcing the Dockers into 32 defensive half turnovers -- their most in a game all year. Neither the Docker defense, nor the midfield group, had any answers to stop the onslaught as they again buckled under the finals spotlight.
Mabior Chol set the standard in the opening minutes with two gut-busting efforts inside forward 50. His fleet-footed brigade of small forwards never stood still for a second, while co-captain Jai Newcombe and Dylan Moore were in-and-under all night long, combining for 14 tackles.
It was this insatiable intent and appetite for the contest that allowed Hawthorn to pile on six consecutive goals following Luke Jackson's early opener. The Hawks took a 33-point advantage into the main break, restricting Fremantle to that lone Jackson major. The margin remained the same at the final change and could only be cut to 32 by the final siren.
Thursday's performance was proof the stat sheet can sometimes be a tad misleading. The Dockers dominated total disposals (+74) and enjoyed an advantage in inside 50s (+6), while the clearance and contested possession counts were virtually identical. And yet this game only ever looked like having one victor.
Hawthorn will now enjoy a well-earned week off before returning to the MCG for a preliminary final. The three most likely opponents for that game all reside outside Victoria. If the home crowd support can be paired with the ferocity displayed against Fremantle, there's no reason they can't jag two more wins in 2026.
We should be seriously worried about these Dockers
Fremantle had been the team of the season. Minor premiers with 19 wins and four losses. An even more imposing record at Optus Stadium where they were unbeaten in 12 games, including a sensational come-from-behind win against these Hawks back in Round 9.
Unfortunately for Justin Longmuir and the legion of fans decked head to toe in purple, the Dockers waited until September to turn in their biggest stinker of the year. The Hawks played this game like the final it was and the all-conquering home side never appeared close to being up for the occasion.
Aside from All-Australian running defender Jordan Clark and the reliable Andrew Brayshaw, Fremantle had few winners on the night. Midfielders Shai Bolton and Caleb Serong were well below their best, Murphy Reid left his kicking boots at home, while forward pair Josh Treacy and Jye Amiss were just about unsighted throughout.
Thursday evening was Fremantle's lowest score of the season (40), while the 17 points scored from turnover were the fewest they had managed in a game since 2019 (excluding season 2020 which featured shortened quarters). It was also the club's second-worst game of the year for converting scores from inside 50s.
Fremantle will now have to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and regroup for a do-or-die semifinal against either Geelong or Carlton next weekend. And while they'll likely be favoured to win that game, would anyone be tipping them with a high degree of confidence?
The loss to the Hawks is as morale-sapping as it gets. Not only because it undoes so much of the great work that was done throughout the year. Not because for them to lift the premiership they'd have to win three straight games, including two on the other side of the country. But because this club, and its supporter base, was adamant it had turned the corner following last year's disappointing home elimination final defeat to Gold Coast.
That one-point loss to end last year's campaign could prove costly 12 months on. All of a sudden the Dockers have lost two finals in a row on their home deck and will be sweating at the prospect of it becoming three in a row next weekend. Meanwhile, what will the Cats or Blues have to lose?
If you don't want James Sicily at his worst, you don't deserve him at his best
Sure, at times he can play the role of the ultimate villain, but Hawthorn co-captain James Sicily can also be the coolest head you're likely to find behind the ball and one of the greatest assets in football come September.
On Thursday evening he was very much the latter. Sicily was simply sensational against the Dockers, leading the defensive group that completely nullified Fremantle's dangerous three-pronged attack.
Time and time again Sicily out-positioned and out-bodied the Fremantle forwards, drawing on all of his experience and smarts to put on a defensive clinic. He was always in the right place at the right time, always a step ahead of his opponent, and always composed with Sherrin in hand.
Sicily finished his night in the west with a team-high 26 disposals, a game-high 12 intercept possessions, 10 marks, and seven score involvements -- more than any player wearing brown and gold not named Nick Watson.
"We wanted to commit to being tough and taking the game on," Sicily told Fox Sports after the win. "The way we were in sync tonight is just going to give us so much confidence."
There's more than a few Hawks that can make claims to being their club's most important player, but it's hard to look past Sicily when he's in this type of form.