A big night for the Hawks, who live to fight another day. The Western Bulldogs meanwhile get to start looking forward to a holiday.

As for me, I've got my sights firmly set on tomorrow. We'll have a finals double-header in the blog tomorrow with Sydney-GWS kicking us off before Brisbane-Carlton wraps up the first weekend of finals.

It's going to be another ripper of a day, so be sure to join me then. Until tomorrow, have a good one!

The Hawks boss is likely in a pretty cheery mood.

"When you're able to handle momentum swings, it gives you much better looks. And when we got momentum we were able to hold it. I was really proud of them.

"I though we were quite mature. There was 97,000 there and the players just handled the game so well. Whether it was tactical, or a score review or a blood review, whatever. Bontempelli's first five minutes of the last quarter, everyone was saying "oh no, here we go" but they even handled that."

Mitchell also talked about the team's young guys, and their ability to step up to the big stage.

"I wonder if it's the naivety of youth. I wonder if they don't even know it's a big deal. But they're enjoying their footy and playing with a whole lot of energy.

"I though Wiz was a little bit off, but then he had a couple of chases which didn't quite get there, but then a goal game. Those are the things that we will show. Our pressure was fantastic."

On the team's 0-5 start, and everything that has happened since.

"We knew we were better than. Did we think we'd be as good as we've become? Maybe that would have been a stretch at the time."

Mitchell also says Will Day's status is "unknown". He hasn't done any contact work yet. Sounds to me like it's a bit of a stretch to get him back for a semifinal next week.

Bevo is "as flat as the proverbial hat", he says. He's been pretty frank about how far off the Bulldogs were tonight.

"We've been a pretty good contested side all year, but the Hawks were just too good in that area tonight. You ask yourself the question 'how much of it is Hawthorn and how much of it is us?', and it's probably a bit of both.

"We picked a night against a really good side to not be able to see it through after the first quarter. It's not a great way to finish the year."

Bevo addressed a poor night for the midfield group:

"From the rucks through to that brigade, it didn't happen for us. We just couldn't get any consisten territory. We couldn't get any front end stoppages, we couldn't get any forward half turnover. Everything we've been pretty good at, they went away from."

And the club's poor record in these games over the last decade:

"It's difficult to process a finals loss. It's our fifth elimination final loss in 10 years. We know how hard finals are to win and some of the boys hadn't played a final before. They definitely know it now."

We'll hear from Luke Beveridge soon and it will be interesting to see what he has to say, but some of the stats make for horrific reading for the Dogs.

They average 379 disposals a game in 2024. Tonight they had only 327. They simply couldn't win the footy anywhere on the ground.

The Dogs lost the inside 50 count 59-39. They were out-tackled 66-54. And most damningly, despite their vaunted tall forward line they took only seven marks inside 50 all night.

Marcus Bontempelli managed only 18 disposals, which is pretty remarkable. Tim English got destroyed by Lloyd Meek. Cody Weightman couldn't get near it, and Liam Jones and James O'Donnell were given the run around by Calsher Dear and co.

That's the what. The why is the interesting part. And that's for Bevo to spend the next six months figuring out.

This bloke is going to win more premierships as a coach than he did as a player.

Sam Mitchell is a truly fantastic leader, an incredible footy mind and someone who will not only take Hawthorn forward into its next generation, but will likely mould the league with his vision as only the great coaches can.

And that's all I'm going to say on the matter.

Just a couple of young fellas having a good time. Pretty good at footy too.

This gritty Hawks mid just played one of the games of his life. Newcombe finished up with 35 touches, 12 contested, 10 score involvements and a goal.

He caught up with Channel Seven after the game:

"You always have hope, you have to if you want to compete at this level. It took us longer than we would like to find it, but the belief that everyone has in themselves and each other is unbelievable.

"It is a great joy to be part of."

The story of 2024 has at least one more chapter left to be written.

Hawthorn will advance to the second week of finals, and will face a battered and bruised Port Adelaide for a spot in a prelim. The same Hawthorn that was 0-5 to start the season, and stuck in the bottom three or four for the last few years. Hokball has exploded, it's a joy to watch. It's winning football - premiership standard football.

The Western Bulldogs are done and dusted for the year, another season over without a dent being made in September. It's a familiar story for the Dogs who were completely overwhelmed tonight, smashed in every facet of the game.

Recriminations will begin for the Bulldogs but tonight is all about Hawthorn. Something special is brewing here, and it might be only just getting started.

Such an impact from Watson tonight, in front of goal and with his incredible pressure all night.

Also incredible - that was the only goal of the five that came from a high tackle. Not much the tackler could do there with Watson diving at his ankles, but the free was there. One more moment for the Hawks to savour.

It was a rogue snap over the shoulder from Naughton that looked certain to miss, only for a massive off-break to rip it back through for a junk time goal.

It's 29 points again now with 3:57 on the clock.

A rotten turnover by Liam Jones in the middle of the ground just ripped the heart out of the Bulldogs there. Suddenly the Hawks had a four-on-two streaming inside 50 and the easiest goal of the night.

Just under seven minutes to play, party time at the 'G for the Hawks.

Yes, the guy I said was subbed off about half an hour ago. I've been bamboozled by a dodgy graphic, because Vandermeer has just kicked a goal and I saw it with my own eyes.

Back to 29 points, eight minutes to play. What's that "goals vs minutes" rule again?

I mean, who else?

Jack Ginnivan had an excellent second quarter but has been largely quiet apart from that, but that was Ginni at his best. A pure rove and crumb, a clever snap and a cheeky celebration - the cracked tinnie a reference to his choice of dinner venue last night.

Book your flights to Adelaide, Hawks fans!

Luke Bruest is on for Gunston, one veteran forward replacing another.

Fifteen minutes left to play, 28-point margin. Dogs having a dip, but little mistakes costing them chances.

The first one came off Naughton's hands as he flew for a mark that cost Bontempelli a second goal.

The second was an incredible diving touch from D'Ambrosio to prevent a Weightman goal. The Bulldogs a couple of sets of fingertips away from precious goals.

Right, there's the first one. Bontempelli splits the middle from 50 out inside 90 seconds of the last quarter to make it a 30-point game.

It's not much, but it's a start. And it's come from Bontempelli which might make it extra significant, given the skipper has had a quiet game so far.

Are we set for a Hawthorn party at the MCG? Or is there some life left in the Bulldogs yet?

Season over for one of these teams in half an hour, and it's not looking like that team will be Hawthorn.

Another blistering quarter of Hawthorn footy, and that might just about be curtains for the Bulldogs' 2024 season.

These Hawks are too quick, too intense, too precise. They have run the Dogs into the ground, battered them into submission and systematically picked them apart with ball in hand. The Dogs couldn't throw a single punch in that quarter.

Not only are the Hawks on the verge of victory tonight, they might be convincing some doubters that they could do something truly, truly special this year. Who can stop them right now?

A quarter to play. Can the Bulldogs offer up any sort of fight?