WHEN James Sicily dislocated his shoulder against the Western Bulldogs in round eight, the captain's season hung in the balance. He came back on and kicked the winner at Marvel Stadium, but if immediate surgery was required in the aftermath, it could have been three months on the sidelines, potentially season over. It wasn't.
Sicily spent a fortnight on the sidelines to strengthen his shoulder joint and then returned strapped up with a roll of Elastoplast under his signature long-sleeve jumper. When he dislocated his shoulder again against West Coast in round 16, Sicily missed the following week against Geelong.
But on Friday night, it was the All-Australian who set the tone in front of 97,828 people – the biggest elimination final crowd in VFL/AFL history – against the Western Bulldogs, showing why he is one of the most influential defenders in the game.
With the game on the line in the second quarter, Sicily was impenetrable in defence, amassing 10 disposals in that 30-minute burst to give Hawthorn a two-goal buffer at half-time. It would never look back.
While Jai Newcombe and Lloyd Meek got it done at the coalface and Massimo D'Ambrosio went to work on the outside, Sicily provided the Gen Z team of the AFL with the leadership they needed in the club's first final in six years.
The 29-year-old finished with 23 disposals, nine intercept possessions and 541 metres gained. Since the horror start and the smashing against eventual minor premier Sydney in round seven, Sicily has played in 13 wins from 14 appearances. Surgery is expected post-season, but that can wait.
At the other end of the ground, it was two teenagers who inflicted maximum damage en route to Hawthorn's first win in September since it won the 2015 Grand Final.
The father-son rule was first introduced in 1949 and has been tinkered with countless times since, including in recent months. Seldom has it meant as much emotionally to a club or player than it has with Calsher Dear in 2024.
The 19-year-old wasn't expected to play a single game in his debut season after being selected at pick No.56 last November. But the son of 1991 Norm Smith medallist Paul Dear, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in 2022, has been one of the best first-year players in the AFL this year.
Dear kicked the last goal of the first half and then added a third from a tight angle deep in the pocket, after juggling a pack mark right on the boundary line at the Punt Road end of the MCG. He finished with 3.4 in a performance that belied his youth.
The third quarter is called the premiership quarter for a reason. Hawthorn cranked up the pressure and would have made it safe for supporters to start booking flights to Adelaide at three-quarter time if it took its chances. The Hawks kicked 4.8 to 1.1 after dominating territory, recording 18 inside 50s to just four. Jai Newcombe was the architect in the middle, amassing 15 disposals in that quarter alone.
Nick Watson kicked two goals during the onslaught on a stage that he was made for. It is why the Hawks were prepared to do what clubs have historically never done – select a 170cm small forward with a top-10 pick, at No.5, last November.
With plenty of wizard hats in the crowd, the Eastern Ranges product finished with a career-high four majors and gave off another to Finn Maginness in the goalsquare.
After being plagued by inaccuracy problems to start his AFL career – he had 6.19 on the board plus seven other misses – Watson now heads to South Australia with 22.26 next to his name. And a name – and moniker – that is exploding in popularity.
After starting 2024 winless after five rounds, Hawthorn is heading to a semi-final. It already looms as a big player this October with Tom Barrass requesting a trade and Josh Battle committing to move as a free agent, but anything appears possible right now over the next three weeks.
