Hawthorn: 2013 AFL Premiers

HAWTHORN has won its 11th premiership, defeating Fremantle by 15 points in Saturday's tough and scrappy Grand Final at the MCG.

On a cool, wet and windy afternoon, the Hawks started with the sort of manic intensity for which the Dockers are renowned, and they led by 23 points at half-time after restricting their opponents to just one goal.

Freo surged back into the contest in the third quarter, closing to within three points, but Hawthorn held firm, winning 11.11 (77) to 8.14 (62).

Five-minute final: Hawks v Dockers

"It's really rewarding," victorious coach Alastair Clarkson said after the match. "It shows that we're a really strong footy club."

Hawthorn sealed its triumph by kicking the first three goals of the last quarter and opening a 31-point lead, which was enough to hold out a Dockers side that never gave up.

Click here for all the best match pics

"When you're playing quality sides, you've just got to take your chances when they come," Clarkson added.

"We stressed that to the players at three-quarter time, to try and take your chances early in the last quarter and put some scoreboard pressure on the Fremantle side."

"A couple of those early goals (in the last quarter) were really important for us to have that buffer."

'Recycled' Hawks rewarded

Fremantle will rue a horror day in front of the big sticks, wasting several easy chances throughout the game.

Gun midfielder Nat Fyfe was off target early, putting two gettable shots out on the full in the first quarter.

Small forward Hayden Ballantyne and skipper Matthew Pavlich then had chances to narrow the margin to two goals late in the final term, but both missed.

"I think the start will haunt us for a while, but it's a great lesson for our club," Freo coach Ross Lyon said.

"It's about the basics under pressure. Missed shots, at the end of the day, separate quality."

Hawthorn defender Brian Lake won the Norm Smith Medal after producing a masterful performance.

Forward Jack Gunston and backmen Luke Hodge and Grant Birchall were among the other heroes for the victors, who avenged their defeat at the hands of the Sydney Swans in last year's decider.

Every Hawthorn player rated

Gunston kicked three of Hawthorn's five goals in the first half and finished with four.

Lake did a superb job in restricting Pavlich to two third-quarter goals and one in the last.

In addition, Lake took a number of intercept marks, while Hodge and Birchall were rock solid across half-back.

Jordan Lewis had a huge second half in which he won a stack of the ball and curbed the influence of Fyfe, who was among the best players on the ground in the early stages.

Every Freo player rated

Along with Fyfe, midfielder David Mundy, defender Michael Johnson and tagger Ryan Crowley flew the flag for Fremantle, which was competing in its first Grand Final since joining the AFL in 1995.

As expected, Crowley picked up Sam Mitchell, and he managed to restrict the star Hawk to just six possessions in the first half and 12 for the game.

The victory secured Hawthorn its first premiership since 2008, and the team that beat the Dockers included nine members of the '08 side – Jarryd Roughead, Lewis, Mitchell, Brad Sewell, Birchall, Hodge, Brent Guerra, Lance Franklin and Cyril Rioli.

Midfielder Shaun Burgoyne, who played in Port Adelaide's 2004 flag, has also become a two-time premiership player.

Brian Lake looks for an option upfield while Chris Mayne tries to close him down. Picture: AFL Media

The win was sweet relief for Clarkson, whose coaching record at the club now reads: nine seasons, six finals series and two flags.

Bailey's sweet reward

It was similarly sweet for Lake, a veteran of 218 games, who played in three losing preliminary finals during his long stint with the Western Bulldogs.

"I have to thank Hawthorn for having the courage to pick me up," a beaming Lake said.

A win and then farewell for Buddy?

However, the result was another bitter pill for Lyon, who notched his third Grand Final defeat, having previously led St Kilda to a loss in the 2009 decider and a draw then a loss in 2010.

It was also another big blow for Freo defender Zac Dawson, who was at the Saints with Lyon during that period and was playing in his fourth Grand Final.

Similarly, Pavlich was hoping to win his first flag in his 291st game, but he will have to wait another year.

Despite all that, Lyon remained positive, and praised his players for their "their work ethic and their growth".

"There's a lot to like," he added. "We sit here really frustrated and disappointed that we weren't good enough to take an opportunity."

Fremantle's Nat Fyfe takes a strong mark in between a pair of Hawks on Saturday. Picture: AFL Media

HAWTHORN   2.3   5.5    8.8   11.11   (77)                  

FREMANTLE    0.3   1.6   6.10   8.14  (62)          

 

GOALS

Hawthorn: Gunston 4, Roughead 2, Franklin, Rioli, Smith, Breust, Hill

Fremantle: Pavlich 3, Walters 2, Mzungu, Mayne, Pearce

 

BEST 

Hawthorn: Lake, Gunston, Lewis, Rioli, Hodge, Birchall

Fremantle: Mundy, Fyfe, Crowley, Johnson, Barlow

 

INJURIES 

Hawthorn: Nil

Fremantle: Nil

 

SUBSTITUTES

Hawthorn: Jonathan Simpkin replaced Max Bailey at three-quarter-time

Fremantle: Lachie Neale replaced Zac Clarke in the fourth quarter

 

Reports: Nil

 

Umpires: Rosebury, Nicholls, Meredith

 

Official crowd: 100,007 at the MCG

2013 AFL Grand Final: Hawthorn vs. Fremantle

"What curse?'' The man who subjected his club to five years of torment consigned the Kennett curse to history on Saturday morning.

Jeff Kennett, the former Hawthorn president and Victorian premier, cut a tortured figure at the MCG on Friday night as the Hawks overcame a 20-point deficit at three-quarter-time to beat the Cats by five.

For all the protestations that this plague on the house of Hawthorn was a figment of the media's imagination, Alastair Clarkson and Luke Hodge and their team could have done without it.

Kennett fatefully told the ABC's Offsiders show after Hawthorn's 2008 grand final triumph over the Cats: ''What they don't have, I think, is the quality of some of our players; they don't have the psychological drive we have. We've beaten Geelong when it matters.''

The Cats made a pact never to lose to Hawthorn again. Incidentally, the man who made the pact public, Paul Chapman, still has not lost to the Hawks as he missed the preliminary final.

With the hoodoo buried, thanks to a rampant performance from Sam Mitchell and late goals from Bradley Hill, Jack Gunston and Shaun Burgoyne, Kennett could finally declare the curse ''done and dusted''.

''It was probably a silly comment at the time that developed legs,'' Kennett said on ABC Radio on Saturday. ''I think I said at the time that we're always there in games when it mattered, and the ones we lost along the way were only foreplay. Last night was a serious game. The comments I made after our success in '08 have developed a life of their own.''

He was unrepentant. ''It's added colour to the game and added colour to the competition. It's now, in terms of its intent gone, and it will be absent from future clashes between these two wonderful clubs and that is highly appropriate.''

Hodge has never believed in a curse - ''We believe Geelong have been too good for us in the past'' - but expressed a simple wish for grand final week. ''I think everyone is hoping Jeff does keep quiet.''

Hawthorn president Andrew Newbold said he had always had belief in his players.

Newbold took over the presidency two years ago from Kennett, but after the win, when asked if he planned to speak to Kennett, Newbold smiled and replied: ''I never acknowledged the curse. That's you blokes [media], so you'd better call him, not me.''

Newbold admitted he felt flat at three-quarter-time, when Geelong had a game-high lead of 20 points, but the last quarter capped off an all-time great AFL final.

''How gutsy the boys were, that was right up there,'' he said. ''You win games sometimes when you play pretty football - we didn't play pretty football today. But it was outstanding just in terms of our endeavour and basically just not giving up.

''Eventually Geelong succumbed and we put our noses in front.

''Today's not the scalp - next week's the scalp,'' Newbold said. ''As a club, obviously, [there's] a lot of emotion winning a close game like that. But it's quickly refocusing on the job that has to be done next week. There's no use getting too excited this week.''

Hawthorn players have every right to be nervous after Fremantle produced one of the best halves of pressure football to beat Sydney by 25 points in Saturday night's preliminary final at Patersons Stadium.

The Dockers booted five unanswered goals in the second quarter to set up the 14.15 (99) to 11.8 (74) win, with the triumph booking their place in next Saturday's AFL grand final against Hawthorn.

The only concerns for Fremantle are the fitness of defenders Luke McPharlin (adductor) and Michael Johnson (calf).

Sydney has built its reputation on their ability to thrive in the tight, uncompromising clinches of finals football 

But it looked a shadow of the unit that won last year's flag, with Fremantle's unrelenting pressure proving the difference in the first half.

The second term was particularly brutal as Sydney struggled to even gain possession of the ball.

When the Swans did get their rare chances, they turned the ball over more often than not.

If it wasn't actual pressure forcing turnovers, it was inferred pressure.

Such was Fremantle's dominance, it took Sydney 28 minutes to have its first disposal inside its forward-50m for the term.

Even that came to nothing, with Jesse White spraying his 48m set shot.

By contrast, the Dockers booted 5.1 for the quarter as they dominated every facet of the game.

The first term was a similar tale - except for Fremantle's finishing.

The Dockers booted a wayward 2.6 from set shots as Matthew Pavlich, Michael Walters, Chris Mayne and Hayden Ballantyne all missed shots they would normally nail.

The 43,249 sellout crowd roared its approval as Fremantle headed into the half-time break with a commanding 39-point lead.

Sydney launched a mini fightback early in the third term, booting three of the first five goals as Fremantle displayed some nerves for the first time in the match.

That was best illustrated by forward Mayne, who was all alone in the goalsquare when he dropped a simple chest mark and fumbled the ball over the line.

But substitute Lachie Neale eased any fears of a choke when he sold the dummy to a Swans defender before drilling a running goal from 40m.

And when Nat Fyfe nailed a goal a minute later, it was game over as Fremantle went into three-quarter time with a 43-point lead.

"It's what we play for to get to this position," Fremantle skipper Pavlich said.

"It's something special. It's something to soak up right now. We'll enjoy the victory for five minutes.

"It's taken a lot of hard work to get to this point."

The Swans added some respectability to the scoreboard with a six-goal final quarter, but that was all in junk time when the game was over.

Sydney's star-studded midfield was supposed to be their strength.

But it was Fremantle's on-ballers who shone, with David Mundy and Fyfe starring.

Michael Walters did the damage up forward with three goals, while Pavlich was influential early.

All-Australian Swans midfielder Kieren Jack was held to just 11 possessions by master tagger Ryan Crowley, who tallied 22 disposals himself and also kicked a goal.

Sydney had few winners on the park.

In the end, their heavy injury toll caught up with them.

With no Adam Goodes, Sam Reid, Kurt Tippett, Rhyce Shaw and Tom Mitchell to call upon, the Swans had no answers to Fremantle's onslaught.

Fremantle's 19-year history has been littered with disappointment and failure.

But Ross Lyon has inspired a cultural shift since taking over as coach two years ago.

In yesteryear, success was craved.

Now it's expected.

Hawthorn had to fight hard to get over Geelong by five points in Friday night's preliminary final.

But they're going to have to produce something even better if they are to win their first flag since 2008.

Up The Street

SALT LAKE CITY -- Just a few hours before Harvard won the first NCAA tournament game in program history, many on the team weren't saying a word to each other -- because they were napping at the Radisson just 300 yards from where they'd make history by night's end.

Crimson freshman guard Siyani Chambers even dozed as the team rode over to the arena. He couldn't so much as recall the music playing on his iPod.

"Sometimes you can overthink things heading into a game," Chambers said. "The nap helps you stay clear."

Chambers was the one who dribbled out the time on Harvard's shocking 68-62 win over No. 3 New Mexico, his face lighting up with realization of the history happening, his expression bigger and bigger as the clock clicked away. Up went the ball, instantly the pep band played and the Crimson earned themselves a beautiful TV moment.

"I was overwhelmed by that moment," Chambers said.

Prior to that rupture of celebration, the No. 14-seeded Crimson made history at EnergySolutions Arena Thursday night by toppling New Mexico and playing with such poise and straightforward focus, you'd never guess this was the team's first go-round to the Round of 32. Though the initial reaction in the immediacy and privacy of the team's locker room looked boisterous, by the time the media got in there, a different vibe settled.

It just didn't seem like history had been made. There were smiles and good feelings, but this was not a bounce-off-the-walls scene. There wasn't we-expected-to-do-this dogma being broadcast. It was just businesslike. Satisfaction, now on to the next one. This is Harvard. Pressure to succeed extends beyond what's done in a uniform.

That reflects Tommy Amaker's style, and to a man, both in casual conversation and for-the-record quotes, all redirected the credit for this one to him. The coach said this win was as meaningful to him as any other in his coaching career.

"We also had to be a little fortunate this evening," he said. "It means to the world to us, a significant moment for us to be in this position."

The way Harvard won remains most impressive. This was not a plucky upset by an Ivy League team that used trickery or quirk in order to bring down a big boy. Harvard had the lead more often than not during the game. It had some distance in its margin for much of the night. And it fended off foul trouble with three of the seven men total who saw playing time against a taller, more physical, well-rounded Lobos team.

Former Harvard players made the trip, bought the tickets and sat about 20 rows up in section 17. It was a convention of awkward high fives after the last buzzer. When the game was over, a member of the school band wielded its massive flag and waved it high as the players made their way into the locker room after a joyous few seconds on the floor to celebrate something that was more than 100 years in the making. Harvard is the oldest school in this country, and its fourth trip to the NCAA tournament ever -- reaching it in a second straight year after a 66-year drought -- has given the NCAA tournament one of its headline storylines for the next three weekends.

"This was for all the players and all the students who've gone to Harvard," sophomore Steve Mondou-Missi said. "We know nobody had this."

"It's unbelievable," Christian Webster said. "We were talking in the back. We're still in disbelief, can't believe it happened."

More record-book fodder from this game: Webster crossed 1,000 points for his career during this game and Laurent Rivard set the Harvard record for most 3s in a season.

Mondou-Missi added that the team, or at least he, started to believe winning the game was a realization by the end of the first half. Harvard went into the break with a 31-27 lead. Despite an eight-minute field-goal drought in the second half, the team never lost control of the game. Harvard utilized a careful method of possession basketball, waiting and waiting and waiting for the right shot. Often, it was Rivard (17 points) who sank the needed 3. The team hit eight 3s on 44 percent shooting. Wesley Saunders led the team with 18.

"This is so much joy after a season that was such a grind," Chambers said.

There is weight to those words. Harvard's been through a lot, and truth be told, if the team hadn't even reached the NCAA tournament few could have found blame. In the preseason Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry were removed from the team for a year for being caught in an academic scandal. Harvard wasn't even picked to win the Ivy. Then came the token 14 seed against a New Mexico team that had legitimate claim to a No. 2 seed.

All of it went out the door Thursday night, except for the means of motivation by way of a number next to Harvard's name on every bracket.

"We had the mentality of a 14 seed," Kenyatta Smith said.

Yet the team didn't play for broke. It benefitted from subpar play by New Mexico's Tony Snell and Kendall Williams, who combined for 18 points. It was eye-opening to see a proven team like New Mexico play so small. Harvard's the one with the size disadvantage, but it kept going and finding answers. It was ready well before it even realized, too.

It was about shortly before bedtime on Wednesday night when the players first got to see video of the Lobos that assistant Yanni Hufnagel had been poring over for 72 hours. Hufnagel -- who recruited Blake Griffin at Oklahoma and received Twitter love from the Clippers star Thursday night -- was working off virtually no sleep since Selection Sunday. The staff didn't want to bog the team down with thinking of New Mexico's schemes. They wanted the players to be mostly focused on running their own stuff. Unbenknowst to the players, the coaches slyly mixed in some New Mexico "action," as it were, during practice.

But the team didn't even see tape on New Mexico until 9 p.m. Wednesday night.

And it won't see a second of film on Arizona until late Friday night.

At this point, Harvard's just a really cool story, and a truly unpredictable one. It wasn't a terrific opening Thursday, but it ended with an outcome that will be an all-timer. It wasn't dramatic, just bemusing in its casual endgame. I know I'll never forget being here for this one. I want to share this anecdote to wrap things up. As I was walking out of the arena and heading back to my car Thursday night/Friday morning, I heard them again, that snarky Harvard band.

At this hour? Midnight? Yes.

Oh, I get it.

The team was getting off the bus. Two rows of woodwinds, brass, cheerleaders and students had formed outside the hotel's main entrance. Inside, Harvard fans waited to greet the team.

How could any of them choose sleep now.