There is no love lost between these two.
Hawthorn and Sydney are both vying off for their third flag in under a decade, as the Hawks look to go back-to-back for only the second time in their history.They have been two of the most consistent clubs of the last decade, having won four premierships between them since 2005, including the decider two years ago which the Swans ‘unexpectedly pinched’ off the Hawks by 10 points.
Two years later and the Swans will feature three ex-Hawks, including 2012 premiership star Josh Kennedy, Ben McGlynn who missed the 2012 decider through injury and none more important than power forward Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin, who made the switch to the harbour city as a restricted free-agent at the end of 2013.
The clubs shared the spoils in their two meetings this year. In round eight the Swans beat the Hawks by 19 points at ANZ Stadium, with Buddy kicking a pivotal (but inaccurate) 2.7, which proved to be the difference between the sides. In round 18 the Hawks triumphed by 10 points at the MCG, with another disappointed three-goals-five display from the Swans’ big man.
Earlier in the week Franklin said that he had been receiving jibes from his ex-teammates in the build up to the big dance.
“They shot me a few text messages, but a lot of the boys have kept pretty quiet and just getting prepared for a big game.”
He said he is expecting plenty of jeers from the Hawthorn faithful.
“It’s going to be a hostile environment, something that a lot of these [Sydney] boys have experienced already in 2012.”
Sydney and Hawthorn qualified first and second on the ladder, respectively, after the regular season. Both sides started their finals campaigns emphatically, with the Swans defeating the Fremantle Dockers by 24 points and the Hawks running over the top of arch-rival Geelong by 36 points. The wins meant they both qualified for a week off.
Last week things weren’t as easy (and scripted) for the Hawks as they would have liked. They defeated a rampant Port Adelaide side by three points, having led by 28 points in the 11 minute mark of the last quarter. The Hawks’ colossal up forward Jarryd Roughead contributed with six majors, as
Hawthorn looked to have done enough to qualify for the grand final. But some nervous final minutes proved chaotic, as Port Adelaide did everything in its power to topple its opponent, but it was simply too little too late as the clock defeated the Power.
The Swans on the other hand made their preliminary final look like child’s play. It was a simple training drill for Sydney, as it carved up a second-rate North Melbourne by 71 points at ANZ Stadium. The Swans were balanced in all areas as they jumped on every Kangaroos clanger, powering their way into another premiership decider this week.
Sydney is favoured to take home its sixth premiership, and the deciding factor may boil down to the fact that Hawthorn had to really battle it out in the dying stages of last week’s game, to ensure it qualified for its third successive grand final. Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge will notch up his 250th AFL game this week.