As two premier sides of the modern era, the Hawks and Crows have faced off in some thrilling tight clashes.

This weekends match should be no exception, with both sides hoping to clinch a spot in the top eight.

The Hawks narrowly got over the line in their last encounter against the Crows, coming from behind to win by 14 points at Adelaide Oval in one of the upsets of the season.

It is a good excuse to look into the vault at some of the nail-biting clashes between the two sides over the years, where Hawthorn tended to have Adelaide’s measure.

Here are a few of the best between the two sides:

Preliminary Final 2012

Hawthorn 13.19.(97) defeated Adelaide 14.8.(92)

In an exhilarating and see-sawing contest, the Hawks hung on to win by five points at the MCG, booking themselves a Grand Final berth. Hawthorn looked to have the game in control after an electric third quarter, leading by 22-points with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter. A late Brodie Smith bomb dampened their efforts somewhat, trimming the lead to 16 points coming in to the last. The Hawks struggled to get opportunities in the final stanza as the Crows powered on.  Straight kicking from forwards Kurt Tippett and Jason Porplyzia saw the margin creep within a goal with minutes to go, keeping Hawks fans on edge. Veteran defender Graham Johncock then produced an unlikely goal to put Adelaide in front, with the Crows having kicked six of the last eight majors. With the game on the line, Cyril Rioli was the barometer for the Hawks late in the piece.  Rioli responded quickly to the Johncock goal, springing up to take a crucial contested mark close to goal and converting truly. Rioli then pounced on a Jordan Lewis knock on, handballing over to Lance Franklin who nailed his third for the night. The Hawks looked to be home yet again, until Taylor Walker slotted a set shot in the final minute to give the Crows a sniff. 14 seconds left, a tense centre bounce followed, with veteran Shaun Burgoyne gathering the clearance and bombing it towards the boundary, sealing the win and putting them in the Grand Final.

Read: Cyril has club's support, says Clarko

Elimination Final 2007

Hawthorn 15.15.(105) defeated Adelaide 15.12.(102)

‘Buddy’ Brilliant. The Hawks scraped over the line and into a Semi-Final thanks to a long launch in the dying moments from a young Lance Franklin. A youthful Hawks side trailed the Crows by two goals at three quarter time, with a chance for either team to progress to the next round of the finals series. Hawthorn started the quarter with a bang, slotting two goals thanks to a collected set shot from Shane Crawford followed by a 60m bomb from Franklin, bringing his match tally to five goals.  A response from Crows sharp-shooter Scott Welsh followed, until a classy move and handball from Luke Hodge set up a remarkable checkside goal from Clinton Young. The ball was back in Franklin’s hands minutes later and the 20-year old kicked truly from outside 50 yet again. A mark and goal from Welsh came shortly after to level the scores, before crucial misses from Jarryd Roughead and Chance Bateman kept the game alive. Adelaide’s unlikely hero Jason Torney booted an absolute blinder on the run from outside 50, leaving the Hawks to rue missed opportunities as they took the lead. Then came the moment Lance Franklin announced himself as a superstar of the competition. ‘Buddy’ marked on the lead just inside 50, receiving a pinpoint pass from Rick Ladson with seconds to go on the clock. With Hawks fans hearts in their mouths, Franklin converted his seventh goal of the game to clinch victory in what was one the most memorable finals moments of this century – a moment that has been replayed thousands of times by Hawthorn supporters. 

Round 12, 2008

Adelaide 10.12.(72) defeated by Hawthorn 11.10.(76)

The following the year, the Hawks came to AAMI Stadium hoping to end a 14-year winning drought at the venue. In front of a bumper crowd of nearly 45,000 at West Lakes, a red-hot Hawthorn side broke the hoodoo, defeating the Crows by four points in a thriller. The two sides were within four-points at every change, with Adelaide leading them all except the final siren. When Sam Mitchell hit Lance Franklin on the lead halfway through the last quarter, the Hawks trailed by eight points while ‘Buddy’ had five straight behinds to his name and had been reported for striking. He slammed home the long range set shot which was quickly met by a Crows response. Minutes later Luke Hodge fired out a handball to Jordan Lewis who found Michael Osbourne bursting away from the stoppage. Osbourne took a bounce and unleashed from the centre square to put the Hawks just two points behind. The Crows defended manfully until a long kick came in to Roughead and Franklin and Roughead. This time, it was Luke Hodge’s time to shine. The stars linked up again, Lewis feeding the ball out to Hodge who performed a brilliant baulk on the oncoming tackler and booted the major.  The goal put the Hawks in front, with the brown and gold able to hold on for their first win at AAMI Stadium since 1994.