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CARN THE MIGHTY HAWKS!!!! - 2013 Premiers

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  • CARN THE MIGHTY HAWKS!!!! - 2013 Premiers

    Today my beloved Hawthorn Hawks won their 11th Grand Final in front of a crowd of 100,007 people. Much like American Football, it is the one game at the end of the year that counts and this year my boys got up.

    I am a Hawthorn member, so I got to attend quite a few games this year. I live only a short walk from the Melbourne Cricket Ground (where the Grand Final is played), so it is easy to get along to games. The AFL is determined to keep football accessible to ordinary people, so adult entry to a game is only $20 (if anyone ever visits during footy season I'll take you along). I didn't get to go to the Grand Final, but I did wander down to the carpark before the game where some of the supporters I know were having a pre-game BBQ. perfect start to a perfect day.

    Hawthorn are the most successful team of the modern era. From our first Grand Final appearance (and win) in 1961 we have been in 17 grand Finals for 11 wins. In my lifetime it is 15 & 10. it is fair to say that we are unloved, but respected. After a golden period in the 1980s when we appeared in an unprecedented 8 Grand Finals in 9 years (including 7 straight) for 5 wins the club fell on hard times. In 1996 we almost merged with another club. From there it was a long slow climb back to the top. In 2008 a young group of talented players led the team to its 10th Grand Final win. Last year we lost the Grand Final to Sydney in the dying minutes. This year the core of that 2008 team, now experienced stars, were determined to go one better.

    Hawthorn 11 11 77, Fremantle 8 14 62

    Our opponent is from Fremantle, the port to the city of Perth in Western Australia. Freo is a new team - only 19 years old. It is fair to say they have under-performed up until now. With a new coach they have become one of the toughest teams in the competition. Hard tackling, they have the best defence in the League. We have the best offence. The perfect match for a Grand Final. Freo supporters are a passionate bunch. This week they have swamped Melbourne with their distinctive purple gear as thousands of them paid a small fortune to fly here for the game. I suspect they will win a flag in the next few years, but tnot this year.

    In the end it was our superior experience and attacking flair that settled the game. We also took a leaf from Freo's book & tackled them as hard as they tackled us. It was a crunching game played at a frenetic pace. We got out to an early lead and by half time were 4 goals up. We haven't lost a game from that position all year, and I called it then. Freo came back hard & got within 3 points (a goal is worth 6), but in the end we always had a reply. The kept fighting until the end, but it wasn't enough. A great game.

    I will be attending a supporters day tomorrow at the team's spiritual home, the Glenferrie Oval in Hawthorn (actually a few hundred meters from where I work). it will be great fun.



    Last edited by Bigfella; 28 Sep 13,, 14:28.
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    Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C
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