The 2014 AFL season in review
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Hawks go back to back
Another Hawthorn dynasty appears to be at hand after the Hawks unexpectedly thrashed Sydney in the Grand Final to make it two premierships in a row. The Hawks have become the first team to go 'back to back' since the great Brisbane side of the turn of the millennium won three flags in a row in 2001-02-03. They burst out of the blocks to be undefeated and on top after round four, eventually finishing second to the Swans on 17 wins at the end of the home and away season. A near-perfect finals series followed as accounted for Geelong, Port Adelaide and Sydney in September.
There were two changes to the top eight in 2014, with two of the traditional 'Big Four' - Carlton and Collingwood - dropping out, replaced by North Melbourne and Essendon. Port Adelaide proved that its rise under Ken Hinkley was no fluke, going one step further than in 2013 and getting within a whisker of the Grand Final.
After having 'won' the wooden spoon in their first two seasons, the GWS Giants won six games this year to finish 16th, ahead of Melbourne and St Kilda, the Saints claiming the spoon for the first time since 2000. The league's other new club, Gold Coast, won 10 games to finish two games away from a place in the eight and the Suns look likely finalists in the next year or two.
Round 1
The opening round of the 2014 season was somewhat of a marathon, stretched over 10 days, beginning on Friday the 14th of March with Collingwood hosting 2013 Grand Finalists Fremantle. This was a change from the recent "traditional" season opener between Carlton and Richmond. The Dockers showed they would again be a force with a 70-point thrashing of the Pies.
The next day saw the season's first upset, with GWS running away from Sydney in the last quarter to beat the Swans by 32 points in the first V/AFL match in history to be interrupted by a thunderstorm. Gold Coast signalled continued improvement with a three-goal win over Richmond before Port Adelaide had 33-point victory over Carlton at Docklands to round out the first weekend of the opening round.
Thursday night saw Geelong defeat Adelaide by 38 points in what was perhaps the best game of the round, while North surrendered meekly to Essendon the following night. Hawthorn opened its premiership defence with an eight-goal win over Brisbane in Launceston, while St Kilda - widely tipped to struggle to win many games in 2014 - accounted for Melbourne before West Coast brought round one to a close with an 11-goal thrashing of the Bulldogs to spoil Bob Murphy's 250th-game celebrations.
Round 2
Six teams backed up a first-round win with another in round two, with West Coast's thrashing of Melbourne giving it outright top spot ahead of Fremantle, which had an eight-goal win over the Suns, Port Adelaide, who thrashed the Crows by nine goals in the year's first showdown - the first ever to be played at the Adelaide Oval - and Geelong, 25-point winners over Brisbane, making up the top four. Hawthorn battled to overcome Essendon, winning by just four points, while St Kilda made it two in a row with a seven-point win over GWS at Docklands after trailing at half time.
Richmond scored its first win of the year with a narrow victory over Carlton, Collingwood upset Sydney at Stadium Australia to give the Swans a surprising 0-2 start to the year, and North Melbourne defeated the Western Bulldogs by 29 points after a first half that produced only four goals in perfect conditions at Docklands.
Round 3
Half of the previously undefeated sides fell at the third hurdle, with Fremantle, Port Adelaide and the Saints all suffering their first defeats of the season. The Dockers were thrashed by Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night, St Kilda fell away in the last term against West Coast and the Power gave up a three-quarter time lead to go under by seven points against North Melbourne. Along with the Hawks and the Eagles, Geelong remained undefeated after pipping Collingwood by 11 points at the MCG on Saturday night.
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The thriller of the weekend came at Docklands on Saturday afternoon where the Bulldogs gave up a big half-time lead to Richmond and then snatched victory back with a late goal to veteran Daniel Giansiracusa (left). It capped off a great day for the Dogs, who unveiled their new VFL side Footscray with a huge win over the Tigers at their old home ground, Whitten Oval.
Sydney opened its account with a huge win over Adelaide in Adelaide, leaving the Crows winless, while the Suns' thrashing of Brisbane also left the Lions without a win. Melbourne and Carlton, losers to GWS and Essendon respectively, were also left on zero points at the end of the round, which saw the undefeated West Coast, Hawthorn and Geelong occupy the top three spots, just ahead of Essendon in fourth place.
Round 4
The undefeated Geelong and West Coast met at Kardinia Park in round four and the Cats made an emphatic statement, crushing the Eagles by 75 points. Hawthorn took a trip to the Gold Coast and made a similarly emphatic statement by trouncing the Suns to the tune of 99 points. That wasn't the biggest margin of the round, though, with Port Adelaide slaughtering Brisbane by 113 points to take a place in the top four. The weekend was littered with wins by large margins, with Adelaide beating St Kilda by 86 points and Fremantle easily defeating an undermanned Essendon by 53.
The three other games weren't particularly close either. North broke a long-standing hoodoo against Sydney, defeating the Swans by 43 points at the SCG, while the two 'closest' matches saw the Bulldogs beat GWS by 27 and Melbourne climb off the bottom with a 23-point win over Carlton. Hawthorn and Geelong remained undefeated while Carlton and Brisbane were the only two sides without a win.
Round 5
The Easter weekend saw the two undefeated sides, Geelong and Hawthorn, meet in their traditional Easter Monday encounter at the MCG and, after a tight three quarters, the Cats pulled away in the last term to win any 19 points and claim outright top place on the ladder. Port Adelaide moved up to second place with an impressive 14-point away win against West Coast, while Fremantle had a similarly impressive away win against the struggling Swans at the SCG. Collingwood defeated North at the MCG, while the Suns had a narrow win over Melbourne at the same venue.
Those results left Geelong on top with five wins, ahead of Port and Hawthorn on four, and six sides - West Coast, Fremantle, Collingwood, North Melbourne, Gold Coast and St Kilda - all on 12 wins. Meanwhile Carlton broke its duck with a 28-point win over the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide thrashed GWS by 65 points.
Round 6
Round six began with a break in tradition to a degree, commencing on the ANZAC Day Friday with three matches played on the day. The first of those was between Collingwood and Essendon, a match saw the Bombers establish a five-goal quarter-time lead only to lose by 23 points to the Pies. Game two was played in New Zealand where Brisbane withstood a strong finish from St Kilda to defeat the 'home' side and record its first win of the season by just three points. The last game of ANZAC Day saw North travel to Subiaco to take on and defeat the might of Fremantle.
The following day saw another three-point thriller, with Carlton upsetting West Coast at Docklands. The other two Saturday games saw the Suns defeat the Giants and Sydney account for Melbourne. Sunday saw Geelong fall for the first time this season, with Port Adelaide powering away from the Cats after quarter time to win by 40 points. Adelaide overcame a slow start to defeat the Dogs while the Hawks bounced back with a huge win over Richmond.
Port's win took it to top spot with five wins, ahead on percentage of Hawthorn and Geelong, with Collingwood, North Melbourne and Gold Coast next in line with four wins each. A block of five sides were all equal on three wins, vying for seventh and eighth spots on the ladder.
Round 7
Port Adelaide had a comfortable away win against GWS at Manuka Oval but that wasn't enough to see the Power maintain top spot on the ladder. Hawthorn took it from them on the back of a 145-pounding of a hapless St Kilda at the MCG. Geelong bounced back from its loss to Port the week before with a win over Richmond but it was a close call, the Cats holding off a fast-finishing Tigers to win by just five points. Collingwood maintained its place in the top four with a comfortable win over Carlton and Gold Coast moved up to fifth with a surprisingly easy 43-point win over North at Docklands.
Sydney had a big win over Brisbane at the Gabba to move into the top eight for the first time for the year, with West Coast dropping out after it lost the Western Derby to Fremantle. The other matches saw narrow wins to Essendon over the Bulldogs and Melbourne surprisingly over Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval.
Round 8
The first of the three bye rounds commenced with a Friday night match at Stadium Australia which saw Hawthorn with a chance to consolidate top spot, but Sydney - despite Lance Franklin kicking an inaccurate 2.7 in his first match against his old side - was too good for the Hawks, winning by 19 points. The win lifted the Swans into the top four only a week after they'd entered the top eight for the first time this year.
Hawthorn's loss left the door to top spot ajar for Port Adelaide, and the Power took full advantage with a three-goal win over Fremantle at Adelaide Oval. Essendon and the Western Bulldogs recorded narrow wins over Brisbane and Melbourne, while the other matches saw Carlton win its third match in four weeks, defeating St Kilda, and West Coast thrash the Giants by 111 points. The win saw the Eagles move back into the top eight at the expense of North, which was one of six sides to have the week off.
Round 9
Despite having the week off with their scheduled byes, Port and Hawthorn remained in the top two spots on the ladder at the end of the second bye week, one which saw Sydney move up to third with a 50-point win over Essendon at Docklands, taking the place of Geelong, the Cats slipping to fourth after they lost to Fremantle by 32 points in Matthew Pavlich's 300th game.
Gold Coast continued to push towards a top-four berth with a solid away win over St Kilda, while Melbourne continued Richmond's bad run, defeating the Tigers by 17 points at the MCG. Adelaide's home win over Collingwood kept the Crows in touch with the top eight, with the Pies slipping from fifth to eighth as a result of the loss. In the other game, North consolidated its top-eight position with an 87-point thrashing of Brisbane at Docklands.
Round 10
The big movers in the third of the bye rounds were the Gold Coast Suns, who had a big win over the Bulldogs at Carrara. The Suns' record improved to 7-2 as a result of the win, carrying them to third on the ladder. Port and Hawthorn battled it out for top spot on the table at Adelaide Oval, and the Power emerged victorious in a high-quality game. Geelong moved up to second place with a solid win over North Melbourne at Kardinia Park.
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A great game at the MCG on Saturday saw Collingwood pip West Coast by eight points to jump back up to sixth, the narrow loss keeping the Eagles a game adrift of the top eight. Carlton also found itself within a game of the top eight after it defeated Adelaide by five points, while Richmond finally returned to the winners list with a huge win over GWS at the Sydney Showground in which Jack Riewoldt (right) kicked 11 goals.
Round 11
As the season returned to regular nine-game weekends, the 11th round kicked off with a result that nobody saw coming. The fact that Sydney (fourth) defeated Geelong (second) was a not a huge surprise, but the margin - 110 points - certainly was. The result lifted the Swans to second on the ladder and sent Geelong tumbling down to sixth. The Cats' percentage also took a pounding, dropping from 116.9 to 101.3.
Gold Coast also fell out of the top four, defeated by the Crows at the Adelaide Oval., with Collingwood rejoining Sydney inside the top four courtesy of an 86-point walloping of St Kilda. North Melbourne recorded its second Subiaco win of the season, defeating West Coast by 38 points, while Hawthorn struggled all day against GWS, sneaking home by seven points. Bottom side Brisbane upset Carlton by seven points at the Gabba, and Richmond continued its mid-season revival with a 50-point win over the Bombers. Other games went to form, with Port Adelaide defeating Melbourne at Traeger Park and the Dockers accounting for the Bulldogs.
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The week saw Brendon Bolton (left) take over temporarily as coach of Hawthorn after Alastair Clarkson was hospitalised with severe back pain. He was later diagnosed with Gullain-Barré syndrome. While expected to make a full recovery, he remained hospitalised for several days.
Round 12
All but one of the nine games of round 12 saw victory go to the favoured side, the closest match being the first one, with Geelong escaping with a five-point win over Carlton courtesy of two late goals. It wasn't impressive win, but any victory was enough for the Cats after their trouncing a week earlier. The only other game decided by under two goals was Brisbane's slightly surprising eight-point win over the Bulldogs. The other winners were Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, Essendon, Sydney, Fremantle, North Melbourne and Collingwood.
The completion of the round brought the home-and-away season to its true midpoint, with all sides having played 11 of 22 matches. Port was a clear leader at the head of the table with 10 wins but just one win separated the next seven sides, with Hawthorn, Sydney, Collingwood and Geelong on eight wins, and Fremantle, North Melbourne and Gold Coast with seven, a game clear of ninth-placed Essendon. GWS, with just two wins, slumped to last on the ladder.
Round 13
A third-versus-first encounter between Sydney and Port Adelaide loomed as the match of round 13 and it did not disappoint. The Swans led for almost the entire match apart from a brief stage off the second quarter but the margin was never more than three goals, and the Power fell short by just four points in the final wash-up. That result left Port a game clear at the the top of the ladder, ahead of Hawthorn - comfortable winners over Carlton - and Geelong, which had a huge win over St Kilda.
The weekend saw three big upsets, with GWS easily defeating Brisbane to climb off the bottom of the ladder, the Bulldogs scoring an exciting eight-point win over Collingwood and Melbourne coming from behind to defeat Essendon by a point at the MCG. West Coast struggled to shake off Gold Coast, winning by just three points at home, Fremantle had a 20-point win over Richmond, and Adelaide defeated North by six goals to move within a game of the top eight.
Round 14
The composition of the top four changed in round 14, with an upset loss to Gold Coast seeing Geelong drop out. The Cats' place was taken by Fremantle, which had a big home win over Brisbane, holding the Lions to just three goals. Richmond fell just short of Sydney at the MCG, the loss leaving the Tigers five games adrift of the top eight and, with only nine rounds to go, seemingly with no chance of playing finals for a second year running.
Two matches were decided by under 10 points, with Essendon pipping Adelaide at Docklands and GWS finishing eight points clear of Carlton, winning consecutive matches of the first time in its tenure in the AFL. All other games saw the favourites win comfortably, the winners being Port Adelaide, Hawthorn, West Coast and North Melbourne.
Round 15
Hawthorn returned the top of the ladder as stand-in coach Brendon Bolton made it five from five with the Hawks making short work of Gold Coast at York Park. They took top spot from Port Adelaide which had an unexpected loss to Adelaide in the second Showdown of the year, the win putting the Crows back within a game of the top eight. Other local derbies saw Sydney easily defeat GWS and Fremantle narrowly account for West Coast, the two sides consolidating top four places with those wins. Geelong had a narrow win over Essendon to stay in touch with the top four.
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Two games were decided by a goal or less, with Brisbane recording an upset win over seventh-placed North Melbourne, and the Bulldogs just getting over the line against Melbourne, courtesy of one of the goals of the year from first-year player Marcus Bontempelli (right). Richmond finally returned to the winners list with a solid victory over the Saints, while Collingwood consolidated its place in the eight with a 15-point win over Carlton.
Round 16
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson returned from illness to reassume the coaching reins but it wasn't a happy homecoming with the Hawks going down to North Melbourne at Docklands on Friday night. The loss saw Hawthorn give up top spot to Sydney, which had a solid away win over West Coast. Port lost its own chance to grab top spot as it suffered a shock two-point defeat against Essendon at the Adelaide Oval. Fremantle retained fourth place with a huge win over Melbourne while Geelong remained in fifth place despite having to work hard for a 13-point win in the wet against the Bulldogs at Kardinia Park.
Gold Coast had a thrilling five-point win over Collingwood at Carrara, the result leaving the Suns in eighth place, level on nine wins with the Magpies (sixth) and North (seventh). Those three sides were a game clear of Adelaide, which had a big win over GWS, and Essendon, while Carlton moved from 14th to 13th with an 85-point thrashing of bottom side St Kilda.
Round 17
Round 17 saw Port Adelaide slip out of the top four and Gold Coast slip out of the top eight. The Power lost their place in the four with an unexpected loss at Docklands to Richmond, while the Suns fell down against the Western Bulldogs in the Dogs' "home" match at Carrara. Geelong took Port's spot with an 11-goal thrashing of Melbourne at Kardinia Park, while Essendon moved into the eight with a similar sized thrashing of Collingwood.
Sydney retained top place with a huge home win over Carlton, while Fremantle moved up to second via another large win, by 76 points over GWS. Hawthorn slipped to third despite a narrow win over Adelaide, while North took sixth place from Collingwood with a 10-goal win over St Kilda. The Pies dropped to eighth after their loss to Essendon which saw the Bombers move up to seventh. The other match saw West Coast win narrowly over Brisbane to keep its slim finals chances alive.
Round 18
A week after moving into the top two, the Dockers fell back to fourth after it suffered a shock loss to St Kilda at Docklands. The bottom-placed Saints stunned Fremantle, winning by 10 goals. Hawthorn took the Dockers' second place with an impressive 10-point win over league leaders Sydney, while Geelong grabbed third spot with a surprisingly narrow win over GWS at the Sydney Showground. The other big change in the ladder saw Adelaide take Collingwood's place in the eight by virtue of a 16-point win over the Magpies at the MCG.
Essendon and Port Adelaide had narrow wins over the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne, but North Melbourne (sixth) and Gold Coast (ninth) had shock losses to Carlton and Brisbane respectively, the Suns' defeat costing them a chance to move back into the eight. Richmond, meanwhile, had a surprise victory at Subiaco against West Coast to make it four wins in a row and suddenly open up its chances of making the finals for a second consecutive year.
Round 19
Sydney lost top spot on the ladder despite having a 22-point win over Essendon at the SCG. The Swans lost it to Hawthorn, whose 62-point win over the Bulldogs at York Park was big enough to regain league leadership. Geelong consolidated third spot with a solid win over North Melbourne at Docklands, while Fremantle retained its place in the top four after surviving a scare against Carlton, winning by just five points at Subiaco. Port held on to fifth place despite succumbing to Collingwood in a thriller at the MCG, a result which saw the Pies move back into the eight, replacing Adelaide, the Crows surprisingly losing at home to West Coast.
Richmond made it five wins in a row by defeating GWS, but was still two games away from a place in the eight, while Brisbane recorded its sixth win of the season, defeating Melbourne by 23 points at Docklands. Gold Coast remained only percentage outside of the eight, thrashing St Kilda at Carrara by 53 points.
Round 20
A 60-point thrashing at the hands of West Coast at Subiaco saw Collingwood tumble out of the top eight and open up the race for the last two finals places with three weeks remaining in the home-and-away season. The Magpies were left in ninth place as one of four sides locked on 10 wins. The others were seventh-placed Adelaide, which had a 105-point win over Brisbane, Essendon (eighth), which lost by three goals to the barnstorming Richmond, and Gold Coast (10th), who couldn't match it against Carlton at Docklands. A game behind those were West Coast and Richmond, both ready to pounce.
At the top of the ladder, Hawthorn and Sydney consolidated first and second place with comfortable wins over Melbourne and Port Adelaide, while third-placed Geelong's heart-stopping two-point win over Fremantle at Kardinia Park was enough to open up a two-game gap over the fourth-placed Dockers. North Melbourne kept a stronghold on sixth place with a big win over GWS while the Dogs defeated St Kilda in a battle of the 'also-rans' at Docklands.
Round 21
Fremantle bounced back from its loss to Geelong in round 20 with a 19-point win over Hawthorn at Subiaco. The result saw the Dockers consolidate fourth place and sent the Hawks tumbling from top of the ladder to third. Sydney took over as league leaders on the back of a 71-point thrashing of St Kilda, while Geelong moved up to second place despite only just escaping with a win over Carlton courtesy of two very late goals. Port kept its top-four hopes alive with a narrow win over Gold Coast, while North's big win over the Bulldogs kept it solidly anchored in sixth place.
A win by West Coast over Essendon would have seen all sides from seventh to 12th on the ladder equal on 10 wins but the Dons held on to win by three points to give them a game break in seventh place, leaving the Eagles in 12th spot on nine wins. In between them was Adelaide, defeated by 10 points by Richmond at the Adelaide Oval, the Tigers themselves (now within percentage of the top eight), Collingwood (thrashed by the Lions at the MCG) and the Suns. The round's other match saw GWS and Melbourne trade 17th and 16th places after the Giants trounced Melbourne at the MCG.
Round 22
Having been third-last with just three wins to its name after round 14, Richmond incredibly moved into the top eight in round 22, defeating St Kilda by 26 points to replace Adelaide, which had a narrow loss to North Melbourne in Hobart. The win guaranteed the Kangaroos sixth place. Essendon's 19-point win over Gold Coast virtually guaranteed its place in the eight and ended the Suns' chances of an inaugural finals campaign, while Collingwood kept its hopes alive with an eight-point win over GWS. West Coast had a big win over Melbourne, the 11-goal victory also keeping the Eagles chances alive.
After two narrow wins in a row, Geelong fell to Hawthorn to slip from second to third, the Hawks moving into second place, while Sydney virtually guaranteed the minor premiership with a 63-point win over the Bulldogs. Fremantle kept a hold on fourth place with a big win over Brisbane, but Port Adelaide's 103-point thrashing of Carlton kept alive the Power's hopes of a top-four finish. With a round to go, many of the places in the top eight remained up for grabs.
Round 23
Two sensational round 23 matches saw the last places in the top four and the top eight decided very late in the piece. Fremantle looked to have fourth place sewn up early in its final quarter against Port Adelaide but the Power came back with a withering burst that saw them fall only eight points short of stealing the Dockers' place. Meanwhile Richmond started with a bang against Sydney and then held on to win a thriller by just three points to ensure its place in the eight. It capped off an amazing nine weeks which saw the Tigers win nine in a row to pinch the last place in the final eight.
Despite losing to the Tigers, the Swans held on to win the minor premiership, finishing a couple percentage points clear of Hawthorn which had a 65-point win over Collingwood. Geelong won by a similar margin against Brisbane to shore up third place, while sixth-place North won by five goals against Melbourne. Essendon, which had a place in the finals sewn up, struggled against Carlton and the match ended in the season's first draw. West Coast and Adelaide had huge wins over Gold Coast and St Kilda, but they ultimately meant nothing as a result of Richmond's win, both sides finishing a game short of the eight despite very good percentages.
The home-and-away season closed off with GWS pipping the Western Bulldogs by six points in a thriller at Docklands, the win leaving Dogs' fans heartbroken but giving Giants' fans hope for 2015.
The final standings saw Sydney, Hawthorn and Geelong finish with 17 wins, ahead of fourth-placed Fremantle on 16 wins. In fifth and sixth place were Port Adelaide and North Melbourne, each with 14 wins, ahead of Essendon (seventh, 12.5 wins) and Richmond (12 wins).
Finals week 1
The first week of the finals saw results go more or less to form. The weekend opened with Hawthorn and Geelong meeting at the MCG. The match was a typically close affair for the first half but the Hawks were slightly the better side after the long break, edging away to win by six goals, their first win over the Cats since the 2008 Grand Final. A similar match at Stadium Australia saw Sydney lead Fremantle by just five points at half time before extending the margin to 24 points at game's end, earning the Swans a week off along with the Hawks.
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North Melbourne were a point behind Essendon as late as 20 minutes into the last quarter of their Elimination Final clash, but two late goals from Drew Petrie (left) saw the Roos eke out a 12-point win and live to fight another day. Richmond travelled to the Adelaide Oval on the back of nine consecutive wins to take on Port in the other Elimination Final but the match was over in the blink of an eye. The Power kicked seven goals to zip in the first 18 minutes and finished 10 goals ahead of the Tigers to advance to the second week of the finals.
Semi Finals
Upsets were the order of Semi Final weekend as, for the first time in history, both losers of the Qualifying Finals lost for a second week in a row to go out in 'straight sets'. There were goals aplenty in the early stages of the Geelong-North Melbourne match, with the Kangas breaking away and the Cats pegging them back to trail by just two goals at the first break. Thereafter goals became hard to come by. North gradually got on top but a late surge from Geelong saw the Cats kick the last four goals of the match to fall only six points short.
The other Semi Final was a close affair until very late in the match. The favourites Fremantle held sway for much of the first half to lead 47-17 not long before the half-time break but a last-minute goal to Chad Wingard saw Port go into that break 24 points behind and with a hint of momentum. The Power carried that momentum into the third term and took a two-point break into the last change of ends.
The Dockers grabbed the lead back with the first two goals of the final term but three in a row to Port saw the Power lead by 11 points midway through the term. A goal to Danyle Pearce saw the margin back to four points 25 minutes into the quarter but Port finished strongly to kick the last three goals of the match and advance to the Preliminary Finals.
Preliminary Finals
After North Melbourne and Hawthorn caused upsets a week earlier, it remained to be seen if either or both of them could repeat their efforts on Preliminary Finals weekend. The answers were an emphatic "no" and a "very nearly". North Melbourne was the first team to attempt to get to the Grand Final from outside the top four but it became apparent early in their Friday night match against Sydney that the Roos were not up to the task. The Swans jumped to a 21-point lead at quarter time and built on that margin at each subsequent break to eventually record a crushing 71-point win and advance to the Grand Final.
The other Preliminary Final 24 hours later provided a very different story. Port Adelaide came out firing and could have had Hawthorn on the ropes by quarter time had it not been for wayward kicking for goal. The Power led by 12 points at the first break - 3.9 to 2.3 - and the margin should have been far greater. Hawthorn responded in the second and third terms and looked to have the game in when leading by 29 points midway through the final term. But Port produced a withering burst in the final minutes of the match and four goals in a row had the Power within three points with time enough to score again. Somehow, though, the Hawks held on and they were still three points to the good when the siren sounded with the ball deep in Port's forward line.
Those two results left the AFL with a repeat of the 2012 match-up, with Sydney to face Hawthorn. The Swans would start strong favourites but Hawthorn, stung by the Grand Final loss two years earlier, were surely not going to give up the flag without a fight.
Grand Final
Many pundits had forecast the 2014 Grand Final to be one for the ages, with Sydney favoured to gain the upper hand late in the match. If either side was to win easily, it would be the Swans - or so most thought. In truth, the opposite was the case and the Hawks dominated proceedings from about halfway through the first quarter, after Lance Franklin had put Sydney ahead with a goal against his old side.
Franklin went on to be his side's best player, kicking four goals, but he had little support from his teammates as the Hawks went on the rampage. Hawthorn led by 20 points at quarter time and 42 at the half, and did not let up after the long break. It was 54 points at the final change and the final margin was 63 points, a thrashing in anyone's language. Skipper Luke Hodge edged out teammates Jordan Lewis and Sam Mitchell to win his second Norm Smith Medal.
The win gave the Hawks back-to-back flags, their first double since 1988-89, and stamped themselves as one of the great sides of the modern era, the premiership win being their 12th since 1961, a phenomenal effort in today's professional age.
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2014 AFL season awards
West Coast's Matt Priddis was a surprise winner of the Brownlow Medal, polling 26 votes to finish one clear of Fremantle's Nat Fyfe, who would have been ineligible anyway because a suspension for a bump on Brisbane's Michael Rischitelli in round two. In equal third place were Gold Coast's Gary Ablett and Lance Franklin of Sydney, each polling 22 votes. Ablett would almost certainly have taken home a third medal had he not suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in round 16.
The Rising Star award went to Brisbane's Lewis Taylor by the narrowest of margins over Bulldog Marcus Bontempelli. Lewis received 39 votes to Bontempelli's 38, with North Melbourne's Luke Dunstan finishing third on 32.
Lance Franklin in his first season at Sydney took home the Coleman Medal for the second year running, finishing with 67 goals in the home and away season, five ahead of a trio of players, Hawthorn's Jarryd Roughead, Port Adelaide's Jay Schulz and Geelong's Tom Hawkins.
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