The 2015 AFL season in review
Hawthorn's hat-trick
The 2015 AFL season has seen Hawthorn make a case for being one of the greatest - if not the greatest - teams of the modern era, as it claimed a third consecutive premiership, brushing aside the West Coast Eagles in the AFL Grand final. The Hawks' win is its third in a row. They defeated Fremantle by 15 points in the 2013 decider and unexpectedly thrashed Sydney in last year's Grand Final.
As well as having won the last three flags, Hawthorn has now won an incredible 13 premierships since claiming its first in 1961. That represents an amazing percentage of 24%, a strike rate of almost one premiership every four years, which will become exactly one every four years if the Hawks can do it again and make it four premierships in a row (matching Collingwood's 1927-30 effort) next season.
The Hawks didn't have things all their own way throughout the 2015 season, and they looked particularly vulnerable early in the season. Unexpected losses to Essendon, Port Adelaide and GWS, followed by a very narrow loss to Sydney saw the reigning premiers precariously placed with just four wins on the board after eight rounds, leaving them precariously placed in seventh place at that stage.
From the end of May onwards, though, Hawthorn hit its straps and lost only two further matches in the home-and-away season, to Richmond in round 18 and again to Port in round 21. The Hawks hit a hurdle in the first week of the finals, losing to the Eagles at Subiaco, but did not put a foot wrong after that, accounting for Adelaide and then Fremantle before exacting revenge on West Coast in 31-degree heat at the MCG on Grand Final day.
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While Hawthorn's 'threepeat' is being righty hailed as a very special achievement, the performance of the Western Bulldogs in 2015 stands out as special in and of itself. The Dogs appeared to be on the verge of implosion in October 2014, after captain Ryan Griffen walked out on the club and coach Brendan McCartney and CEO Simon Garlick also departed the club. To rub salt into the wound, the Bulldogs lost Tom Liberatore to a season-ending knee injury in March.
Somehow, though, new coach Luke Beveridge (left) galvanised his young charges into playing some of the most exhilarating footy of the season, and the Bulldogs made the finals and were perhaps a touch unlucky to fall seven points short of Adelaide in the Elimination Final. The future suddenly looks very bright for the young Dogs, and several pundits believe that a premiership window could indeed open up for this side in a couple of years.
Meanwhile, Richmond made the finals for the third consecutive year, something it hasn't done since 1975. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they were again eliminated in the first week of the finals, as they had been in 2013 and 2014. While three consecutive finals is a positive achievement, the pressure is on Richmond to go one step further and win at least one final in 2016.
The tragedy of the season was the shock death of Adelaide's new coach, Phil Walsh, which cast a dark shadow over the second half of the year.
Round 1
The year kicked off in the traditional way with Carton and Richmond meeting on a Thursday night, the Tigers winning comfortably by 27 points. The round saw some very competitive matches, with five of the nine games decided by two goals or less. Sydney had to come from a long way behind to pip Essendon by 12 points, while Collingwood staved off a late rush from Brisbane to win by the same margin against Brisbane at the Gabba. The Bulldogs impressed, winning by 10 points against West Coast in Luke Beveridge's first outing as coach, while GWS showed it would be an improving outfit in 2015 with a nine-point away win against St Kilda.
Fremantle had a narrow home win against Port in a tight encounter which signalled that both sides would again likely be pressing for a top four spot in 2015, while Melbourne's 26-point win over Gold Coast indicated continued improvement by the Demons under Paul Roos. At the Adelaide Oval, new coach Phil Walsh saw his Crows thrash North Melbourne to the tune of 77 points. The last game of the round, the traditional Easter Monday clash between Hawthorn and Geelong, was a blow-out, with Hawthorn trouncing the Cats by over 10 goals.
Round 2
Hawthorn displayed early signs of becoming a "Jekyll and Hyde" team by following its thrashing of Geelong with a two-point loss to Essendon. The Bulldogs meanwhile made it two wins from two matches, with an unexpected MCG win over Richmond. West Coast thrashed Carton, with spearhead Josh Kennedy kicking 10 goals, while North bounced back from its thrashing by Adelaide with a thrashing of its own over Brisbane.
Adelaide, Sydney, GWS and Fremantle all recorded solid wins over Collingwood, Port, Melbourne and Geelong to leave them along with the Bulldogs, as the undefeated sides, while Geelong found itself in very unfamiliar territory, bottom of the ladder after two hefty losses.
Round 3
Fremantle sounded an ominous warning to other contenders with a stunning first half against the Eagles in the Western Derby. The Dockers led by 11 goals at half time before cruising to a comfortable win. Adelaide and Sydney had wins over Melbourne and GWS to remain undefeated, but the Bulldogs were brought back to earth with a thud, thrashed by Hawthorn at York Park.
Geelong had its first win, narrowly defeating the Suns at home, while Collingwood, Essendon and Richmond had wins over St Kilda, Carlton and Brisbane. The match of the round was a high-scoring affair between North and Port at Docklands, the Power pipping the Roos by eight points in a thriller. The undefeated Crows, Swans and Dockers headed the ladder, while Brisbane, Gold Coast and Carlton remained winless.
Round 4
A stunning first quarter from Port Adelaide against Hawthorn had the footy world abuzz in round four. The Power blitzed the Hawks with the first seven goals of the match at the Adelaide Oval before surviving a comeback that saw Hawthorn finish eight points short. At Docklands the Bulldogs put in their own stunning performance, thrashing the Crows by 10 goals, while the Dockers saw off Sydney with another huge first half effort at Subiaco, to leave them as the only undefeated side.
Geelong lost again, this time to North Melbourne, while Melbourne upset the Tigers at the MCG on Friday night. Collingwood won its ANZAC Day clash against Essendon, while Carlton, GWS and West Coast all recorded big wins. Fremantle headed the ladder, a game clear of GWS, Collingwood, Sydney, Adelaide and the Bulldogs.
Round 5
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Collingwood moved up to second on the ladder with a huge win over Carlton at the MCG on Friday night, the Magpies looking to finally blossom under Nathan Buckley's guidance. The match of the round came at the SCG with new glamour side the Western Bulldogs going blow for blow with the Swans and eking out a heroic four-point win for the ages. St Kilda and Essendon also played out a thriller at Docklands, the Bombers sneaking home by two points.
Fremantle came to the MCG and made short work of Melbourne to remain undefeated, while Hawthorn had a big win in a fiery game against North. West Coast had a huge win over GWS, while Gold Coast broke their duck to beat Brisbane, leaving the Lions as the only team without a win. Geelong had a narrow victory over Richmond while the year's first Showdown saw Port triumph over Adelaide. The Dockers remained on top, a game clear of Collingwood and the Dogs, with seven other sides just behind those two, all with three wins.
Round 6
For the third time in a row, Hawthorn followed up a win with a loss, going down to GWS by 10 points. Fremantle made it six from six, defeating Essendon to open up a two-game break at the head of table. Sydney and Adelaide returned to the winners list against Melbourne and Gold Coast, while West Coast had a narrow in over Port Adelaide in Adelaide.
The Western Bulldogs gave up a 55-point lead early in the third term to go down to the Saints, and sadly lost Clay Smith to a ruptured ACL, his third such injury. Collingwood fell back to Earth against Geelong, the Cats moving to within percentage of the top eight. Other results saw North account for Richmond and Brisbane break its duck against Carlton. Fremantle's perfect record left it two games ahead of West Coast, Collingwood, Sydney, Adelaide, GWS and the Dogs, with Hawthorn making up the eight on three wins.
Round 7
Fremantle remained two games clear on top but not before being pushed to the limit by the Bulldogs, who were level with the leaders late in the match until two late goals saw the Dockers home. West Coast, Hawthorn and GWS all had huge wins, while the thriller of the round saw Richmond pip Collingwood by just five points to stay in touch with the eight.
Sydney and Adelaide had seven-goal wins over Geelong and St Kilda to cement top four spots, with the other winners being Essendon over North and Brisbane, who had a shock win over Port Adelaide at the Gabba. The Dockers' 7-0 record kept them on top, ahead of the 5-2 records of West Coast, Sydney, Adelaide and GWS.
Round 8
Round 8 saw only one close match, a thriller at the MCG in which Sydney kicked the last three goals of the match to snatch a four-point win against the Hawks. No other match was decided by under four goals, a 24-point home win by GWS over Adelaide the next closest game. Melbourne had a surprise 39-point win over the Western Bulldogs, knocking the Dogs out of the eight, with Richmond taking their place via a 33-point away win over Port Adelaide.
Other matches went to form, with Geelong, West Coast, Collingwood, Fremantle and Essendon all recording wins by a margin of over 50 points. The Dockers' eighth win in a row kept them two games clear of West Coast, Sydney and the impressive Giants, while Gold Coast and Carlton were stranded at the base of the ladder with just one win apiece. The Blues' 77-point capitulation to Geelong at Docklands was the straw that broke the camel's back at Carlton, with coach Mick Malthouse being shown the door, assistant coach John Barker stepping in as caretaker for the remainder of the season.
Round 9
The Dockers almost came undone for the first time in their match against Adelaide in Adelaide. They trailed the Crows by a goal at half time but finished 11 points ahead in a low-scoring affair. Richmond had a narrow victory over Essendon to stay in the eight, while Collingwood's three-goal win over North returned it to the top four at the expense of GWS, which was put to sword by a resurgent Western Bulldogs outfit.
St Kilda had a 22-point win over Brisbane but the other four matches of round nine were all one-sided affairs, with Sydney, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and West Coast all winning by 10 goals or more against Carlton, Gold Coast, Port Adelaide and Geelong.
Round 10
Fremantle finally fell on Friday night of round 10, the giant-killers being Richmond, which defeated the Dockers by 27 points on the back of an eight-goal first-quarter burst. The round saw a couple of close encounters, with Adelaide struggling to see off the Blues, winning by nine points at the MCG, while North recorded a 10-point win over West Coast at a very windy Bellerive Oval to stay in touch with the top eight.
Geelong had a huge win over Essendon at Docklands, while Port shook off the Bulldogs in the last term to record a 38-point home win. The other games saw the favourites win and, heading into the 'bye' rounds, Fremantle headed the ladder, a game clear of Sydney, the Swans in turn one game ahead of the Eagles, Magpies and Giants, with Hawthorn, Adelaide and Richmond making up the eight on six wins each.
Round 11
Adelaide, Carlton, Brisbane, Hawthorn, Richmond and the Western Bulldogs all took a week off in the first of the 'bye' rounds, which kicked off with Geelong defeating Port by 23 points at the Adelaide Oval to move within percentage of the top eight. Fremantle struggled to bounce back from its first loss, taking all day to shake off the Suns, but the Eagles had no such trouble, easily accounting for the Bombers at Subiaco.
Sydney won its sixth match on end, defeating North Melbourne by 16 points, while on Sunday, Collingwood had a big seven-goal win over GWS to keep the Giants out of the top four, and St Kilda prevailed by just two points over Melbourne in a thriller at Docklands. Fremantle remained on top, a game clear of Sydney and two games ahead of the Eagles and the Magpies. At the other end of the ladder, the Suns lost by a narrow enough margin against the Dockers to slip ahead of Carlton on percentage, leaving the Blues at the bottom.
Round 12
The second bye round began on a Thursday night with the Hawks travelling to Adelaide, where they kept the Crows at bay for three quarters before breaking away to win by 27 points. 24 hours later at the MCG, Richmond and West Coast were neck and neck for the first half but the Eagles gradually got on top in the second half to win by 20 points. The next day at the same venue saw Carlton caretaker John Barker coach break through for his first win, the Blues just pipping Port Adelaide in an upset.
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North Melbourne travelled to the Sydney Showground and tore apart a surprisingly lacklustre GWS, keeping its top eight hopes alive while handing the Giants their second consecutive loss. Saturday night saw the Bulldogs give Brisbane a football lesson, winning by 72 points, while the upset of the round came in the last match, Melbourne spoiling Corey Enright's 300th game celebration by downing Geelong at Kardinia Park. Fremantle, despite having the bye along with five other sides, remained a game clear on top.
Round 13
The last of the bye rounds kicked off with top side Fremantle and fourth-placed Collingwood meeting on a Thursday night at Subiaco, and the two sides turned on a show worthy of top-four combatants. The goal totals were locked together at each of the three breaks before the Dockers kicked three goals to two in the final term to fall over the line by seven points. The following night saw Richmond, eighth, score an upset third-placed Sydney to throw the top-four race wide open.
Saturday saw Hawthorn easily account for Essendon and Adelaide survive a late comeback from Brisbane to win by 13 points, while St Kilda and the Bulldogs played out a dour, low-scoring affair - a complete contrast to their round six meeting - with the Dogs sneaking home by a goal. The final game of the round saw Carlton easily defeat Gold Coast to move two games clear from the bottom of the ladder. The results left the Dockers two games clear of West Coast and Sydney at the head of the table.
Round 14
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Bye rounds completed, round 14 was supposed to see the resumption of full nine-game rounds but the football world was rocked by an unspeakable tragedy. The round kicked off with an entertaining match on the Thursday night, with Sydney having a narrow home win against Port Adelaide to consolidate its top four spot and make the Power's top eight chances very slim.
The next morning, the AFL community woke to the shocking news that Adelaide coach Phil Walsh (right) had been murdered by a family member in his own home. In response to the tragedy, the AFL considered abandoning all remaining round 14 matches, but in the end decided only the Adelaide-Geelong game would be cancelled, with the two sides sharing the points.
Each of the remaining seven matches in the round ended with players and coaches from both sides forming a large circle in the centre of the ground to pay their respects to Walsh.
Friday night saw Collingwood and Hawthorn play an outstanding match at the MCG, with the lead changing hands often before late goals saw Hawthorn home by nine points. Richmond and GWS also played a close match at the same venue the next day, the Tigers maintaining their place in the eight with a dour nine-point win. Gold Coast shocked North Melbourne with a 55-point thrashing of the Roos at Carrara, while on Saturday night, the Bulldogs struggled to an 11-point win over Carlton and West Coast thrashed Melbourne.
A stunning result came up on Sunday, with St Kilda trouncing Essendon by an amazing 110 points, putting serious pressure on Bomber coach James Hird. The shortened round ended with Fremantle recording a routine six-goal win over Brisbane to maintain its two-match advantage on top of the ladder.
Round 15
After the tragic events of the week before, the AFL community did its best to return to normal in round 15, with a full nine matches played. The round's first match was the closest, with Port Adelaide keeping its slim finals hopes alive with a three-point home win over Collingwood which sent the Pies crashing from fourth to seventh. On Friday night, Richmond had a five-goal win over Carlton to stay in the top-four hunt while Essendon amazingly bounced back from its shocker against the Saints to beat Melbourne.
The other Saturday games saw the Bulldogs come from behind with a 10-goal burst in the last quarter to beat Gold Coast in Cairns, North push ahead of Geelong in the race to get back into the eight, easily defeating the Cats, and West Coast having a big home win over Adelaide, the Crows still shellshocked from the events of the previous week. Assistant coach Scott Camporeale had taken on the interim role as Crows head coach.
On Sunday GWS had a comfortable win over St Kilda, Hawthorn thrashed the top-placed Dockers at York Park and Sydney was made to work hard all day for its 21-point win over Brisbane. Fremantle's loss cut its break at the head of the ladder to one game, ahead of West Coast and Sydney, with Hawthorn a game further back in fourth place. The Giants, meanwhile, moved up into the eight at the expense of Adelaide.
Round 16
A thrilling and emotion-charged win by Adelaide over Port in the second Showdown of the year was the highlight of round 16. Only two weeks after the death of their coach - who had also previously worked as an assistant at the Power, the two teams played out a wonderfully free-flowing game which the Crows led for most of the night. When the final siren sounded, though, Adelaide had won by just three points.
The win saw the Crows move back into the top eight in place of the free-falling Collingwood, who lost to West Coast at Docklands. North kept its finals hopes alive with a 25-point win over Essendon, while the Bulldogs suffered a hiccup at Kardinia Park, the Cats defeating them by eight points. Hawthorn travelled to Stadium Australia in Sydney and thrashed the Swans by 89 points. The result was perhaps not an upset, but the margin certainly was.
Other winners were favourites GWS, Melbourne, Fremantle and Richmond. Fremantle remained a game ahead on top with 13 wins, ahead of West Coast's 12, and Hawthorn and Sydney's 11.
Round 17
There was just one thriller in round 17, a cracking game between Richmond and top side Fremantle. It was close all night, but a critical kick-out error from Tiger Bachar Houli not long before the final siren saw a turnover which resulted in a David Mundy goal, giving the Dockers a four-point win. A win would have had Richmond equal fourth with Sydney, who put in another shocker to be thrashed at Subiaco by West Coast.
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North defeated Brisbane by 12 goals, displacing GWS from the top eight, the Giants having been defeated by Geelong in Canberra, a result which saw the Cats back within half a game of the eight. The Dogs kept their top-four hopes alive with a win over Collingwood, Hawthorn recorded the biggest win of the year, thrashing Carlton by a whopping 138 points, and Adelaide had a 45-point win over Gold Coast. The round's other matches saw St Kilda defeat Melbourne and Port Adelaide narrowly beat Essendon.
Round 18
Round 18 saw the season's first drawn match, and it was one that looked like proving costly to West Coast, which finished level with Gold Coast in a generally lacklustre match at Carrara. A win would have kept the Eagles within a game of Fremantle's top place but this result left them six points behind the Dockers. The upset of the round came at the MCG on Friday night, with Richmond leading for most of the night to defeat third-placed Hawthorn.
Top side Fremantle defeated GWS by 21 points, but no other matches were decided by under four goals. Melbourne defeated Collingwood by 37 points to continue the Magpies' downward spiral, with the other games seeing all the favourites win - Geelong, Sydney, North, Port and the Bulldogs. The Cats' win saw them move into the eight, just ahead of Adelaide.
Round 19
This round of matches saw the composition of the top four change for the first time since round 12, with the Western Bulldogs moving in at the expense of Sydney, after the Dogs gave Port Adelaide a three-goal start and then thrashed them to the tune of 64 points. The Swans fell out as a result of a 32-point loss to Geelong, while Richmond - the side many thought would take Sydney's spot - put up a poor showing against ninth-placed Adelaide to lose by six goals.
Hawthorn had a 14-point win against West Coast at a wet and windy Subiaco to push closer to a top-two spot, while the Giants kept their top-eight hopes alive with a solid win over Essendon. Collingwood defeated Carlton to break a six-game losing streak to stay in touch with the eight, while the other winners were Gold Coast over Brisbane, North Melbourne over Melbourne and Fremantle over St Kilda. The round's results saw Fremantle open up a 10-point gap at the head of the ladder, virtually sealing the minor premiership.
Round 20
Just when it looked as though the Dockers had sewn up top spot, they tripped on a hurdle named West Coast, the Eagles bursting out of the blocks and then holding on to beat Fremantle by 24 points and narrow the gap between first and second to just a game and a half. That match proved to be the only upset of round 20, with Collingwood's narrow loss to Sydney on Friday night all but ending the Magpies' hopes of a place in the top eight.
The round saw three thrashings of over 80 points, with top-eight hopefuls Adelaide, the Bulldogs and Richmond winning by 112, 98 and 83 points against Essendon, Melbourne and Gold Coast respectively. Hawthorn continued its top-two push with a six-goal win over Geelong, the Cats slipping out of the top eight as the Crows moved back in. The other winners were North over St Kilda, Port over GWS and Brisbane over Carlton, a result which saw the Lions climb off the bottom of the ladder and the Blues take over the wooden-spoon position.
Essendon's 112-point loss to the Crows proved to be the final straw for the Bombers' board, with coach James Hird's tenure coming to a close and Matthew Egan moving into the role in a caretaker capacity for the rest of the season.
Round 21
The Bulldogs crashed back to Earth with a thud when they travelled to Subiaco and got pummelled late in the match by West Coast to the tune of 77 points. The loss saw them slip back from fourth to sixth, with Sydney - 89-point winners over GWS - taking their place in the top four, and Richmond - which thrashed Collingwood - moving up to sixth. Adelaide had a big win over Brisbane and Geelong surprisingly drew against St Kilda, opening up a six-point break between the Crows - eighth - and the Cats in ninth spot.
The upsets of the round saw North inflict top side Fremantle's second loss in a row, and Port Adelaide defeat Hawthorn at the MCG, the Power recording their second win of the year over the Hawks. At the other end of the table, Gold Coast pipped Essendon by two points, the Bombers falling just short of giving stand-in coach Matthew Egan a first-up win, while Carlton jumped off the bottom of the ladder by beating Melbourne. Fremantle was now only half a game clear ahead of West Coast on top, with Hawthorn and Sydney a further game and a half behind in third and fourth places.
Round 22
Top place on the ladder was settled once and for all with Fremantle having a big win over Melbourne at Subiaco and West Coast crashing to a 57-point loss against a resurgent Adelaide. The Crows' win also finalised the top eight, with Geelong's loss to Collingwood at the MCG on Friday night leaving the Cats two games shy of eighth place with one round to go. North's spot in the eight was guaranteed despite losing by 23 points to the Bulldogs, who bounced back from their loss to West Coast the previous week.
Hawthorn had a 12-goal win over Brisbane and Sydney a 97-point victory over St Kilda to shore up their top-four spots, while Richmond kept its chances of a top-four place mathematically alive with a relatively comfortable win over Essendon. Other winners were GWS over Carlton and Port Adelaide against Gold Coast.
Round 23
With the teams in the top eight already decided, it only remained to be seen in round 23 where within the eight those sides would finish. Richmond began the round with a slight chance of moving into the top four, and the Tigers comfortably defeated a North Melbourne side that controversially had many of its better players left out by coach Brad Scott to give them a break leading into the finals. This tactic would ultimately lead to the AFL announcing a pre-finals bye for subsequent seasons. For the Tigers to claim a top-four place, they then needed Sydney to lose to Gold Coast but the Swans made short work of the Suns to settle the matter.
Fremantle, with top place sewn up, also rested many players and consequently where thrashed by Port Adelaide in a rather meaningless match, while its Subiaco co-tenants West Coast locked up second place with a 95-point win over St Kilda. Hawthorn had a big win over Carlton, while Adelaide, ensured of a place in the eight, had a disappointing loss to Geelong at Kardinia Park. The Bulldogs, also assured of their top-eight spot, had an upset loss to Brisbane at the Gabba. The Lions' win lifted them from the bottom of the ladder, 'gifting' Carlton the wooden spoon.
The round closed off with Melbourne breaking a 22-game losing streak at Docklands to defeat GWS, and Essendon pipping Collingwood by three points in a thriller at the MCG.
The final top eight saw Fremantle finish on top with 17 wins, half a game clear of West Coast, with Hawthorn and Sydney third and fourth on 16 wins. Richmond's 15 wins gave it fifth spot, ahead of the Western Bulldogs (14 wins), Adelaide (13.5 wins) and North Melbourne (13 wins).
Finals Week 1
Week one of the finals provided fans with four highly entertaining matches, kicking off with the West Coast-Hawthorn match at Subiaco on Friday night. The match was dour and low-scoring in the first term but the Eagles were brilliant in the second and third quarters, and led by 50 points at the final change before the Hawks showed fight in the last term to cut the final margin to 32 points. The win gave the Eagles a week off, with the Hawks living to fight another day.
Saturday afternoon saw another match at Subiaco, with Fremantle hosting Sydney in the other Qualifying Final. This was to be a dour encounter all the way through. The Dockers set up the match with a four-goal-to-one first quarter, and Sydney was forced to play catch-up football for the rest of the afternoon. The margin was 17 points at half time, but the Swans cut it to 13 points at the last change and kept pressing in the last term. Inaccuracy cost them, however, and they ultimately went under by nine points, 10.9.69 to 7.18.60.
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The third match of the weekend was the best of the weekend and described by some as the match of the season. The Western Bulldogs hosted Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday night and jumped the Crows with the first three goals. Adelaide hit back, though, and led by nine points at quarter time, with Eddie Betts (right) starring. The Dogs continued to try and bridge the gap for the rest of the night, and eventually did so, a burst of three goals seeing them ahead by eight points midway through the last term. But the Crows would not be denied, and goals to Taylor Walker and Charlie Cameron saw them win a thriller by seven points, ending the Dogs' fairytale run.
Sunday saw Richmond and North Melbourne meet for the second week in a row. The difference this time around was that the Kangaroos fielded a full-strength side. The Tigers looked good early and jumped away to a 21-point lead in the second term but North clawed its way back into the match to be within 13 points at the long break, and ahead by two points at the last change. Jack Riewoldt put Richmond ahead early in the final term but the Roos finished the stronger to eke out a 17-point win and condemn the Tigers to their third Elimination Final loss in as many years.
With the Bulldogs and Tigers eliminated, that left Fremantle, West Coast, Hawthorn, Sydney, Adelaide and North Melbourne in the hunt for the flag.
Semi Finals
With the two Western Australian sides having earned a week off, the football focus turned to Melbourne and Sydney in the second week of the finals. Friday night saw Hawthorn host Adelaide at the MCG and the Hawks quickly ensured the Crows would not repeat their heroics of a week earlier at the venue by kicking eight goals to two in the opening term. Adelaide could find no answers to the Hawks' precision play and the home side raced away to win by 74 points, keeping alive its dream of a premiership 'three-peat'.
Stadium Australia was the venue for the other semi final which saw defences on top for most of the night. North led by two points at quarter-time but a three-goal-to-one second term saw the Roos extend the margin to 15 points at the long break, quite decisive in a low-scoring game. The Swans fought back to get within five points in the third term but a Jarrad Waite goal just before the three-quarter time siren gave North a crucial 13-point lead at the last change and they drew away to win by 26 points, knocking Sydney out in straight sets.
Preliminary Finals
For the first time in V/AFL history Melbourne was football free, on Preliminary Final weekend as Subiaco Oval in Perth took centre stage. Minor premier Fremantle hosted reigning premier Hawthorn first up on the Friday night. The Dockers landed the early blows with the first two goals but a run of five in a row from Hawthorn set up a 19-point lead. The Dockers were forced to play catch-up football for the rest of the night and although they got within nine points early in the final term, the Hawks finished strongly to advance to their fourth consecutive Grand Final.
West Coast's turn came 24 hours later and the Eagles were surprisingly jumped by North Melbourne, the Kangaroos kicking three goals to nil to lead by 20 points at quarter time. The Eagles didn't panic, though, and worked their way gradually back into the match, the difference back to five points at the long break. The third quarter saw West Coast break the match open, kicking five goals to one. The Eagles took a 21-point lead into the final term and ultimately cruised to a 25-point win to make their first Grand Final since 2006 and set up a 'Big Dance' showdown with Hawthorn.
Grand Final
The hottest Grand Final day in history saw the mercury peak at 31.3°C in Melbourne. It was the sort of weather that many thought would suit the Perth-based West Coast Eagles and hopes were high that the 2015 Grand Final would be one for the ages. The Eagles started well with a goal to Luke Shuey giving them an early seven-point lead but not much would go right for the visitors from that point on. The Hawks went on to kick the next five goals to lead by 19 points at quarter time, with West Coast squandering chances in front of goal, adding four behinds in the same period.
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The Eagles needed to find something early in the second quarter but it was Hawthorn which found the extra gear, Jack Gunston kicked two goals and Luke Hodge and Isaac Smith one each as the Hawks' lead blew out to 44 points only 15 minutes into the term.
To their credit, Eagles fought on for the next half an hour, closing the gap to 25 points at one stage in the third term but the Hawks' class again came to the fore as they raced away to a 61-point lead early in the final term before three late goals to West Coast narrowed the final margin to a slightly more respectable 46 points.
This win is all about Hawthorn, though, and its third consecutive premiership under the guidance of master coach Alastair Clarkson (left) has pundits legitimately raising the question of whether the Hawks could be the greatest team of the modern era and perhaps of all time.
Fans of Collingwood, which won four flags in a row from 1927 to 1930, will hear none of that but many pundits feel that Hawthorn is in as good a position as any team to ascend the mountain again in 2016 and match the Magpies' monumental effort. Time will tell but no one doubts that the Hawks are rightfully the premier team of 2015.
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2015 AFL season awards
Fremantle's Nat Fyfe became the Fremantle Dockers' first Brownlow Medalist, finishing on 31 votes, four clear of last year's winner, Eagle Matt Priddis and five clear of the evergreen Hawk Sam Mitchell. The Rising Star award went to Jesse Hogan of Melbourne, who finished eight votes clear of Carlton's Patrick Cripps.
Josh Kennedy of West Coast took home the Coleman Medal, his 75 home-and away goals seeing him finish 12 ahead of Giant Jeremy Cameron and 17 ahead of Eddie Betts.
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