Having secured second spot on the ladder, the Hawks found themselves up against the Bulldogs in a qualifying final clash at the MCG, looking to book a place in a preliminary final for the first time since 2001.
Veteran Shane Crawford returned to the side in place of defender Xavier Ellis, while Cameron Stokes was a late inclusion for backman Stephen Gilham who was kept out with a virus.
QT: Key Hawk Jarryd Roughead broke the deadlock as he scored the opening goal of the game after marking 40 metres out, more than eight minutes into the first term.
Two quick goals to the Bulldogs however saw them steal the lead, with both Brad Johnson and Daniel Giansiracusa securing shots from the goal square.
Fresh off the back of scoring his 100th goal for the season the week prior, Lance Franklin crumbed his own ball to bob up for his first, before a nailing a second from close range late in the quarter.
And after Campbell brown slotted one from directly in front the Hawks took a 16-point lead into the first change.
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HT: Franklin continued to loom large, bouncing through his third goal mid-way through the second term after forcing a turn over, while midfield duo Sam Mitchell and Brad Sewell controlled proceedings through the middle of the ground.
The game now well and truly on their terms, back-to-back goals to the Hawks through Crawford and Franklin pushed the margin out to 36-points, before the Bulldogs bounced back with two goals of their own via Adam Cooney and Jason Akermanis.
Unable to quelled, Franklin brought up his fourth major from almost 50 metres out, before crafty forward Michael Osbourne kicked two in two minutes to put the Hawks in the box seat at half time – up by an imposing 44-points.
3QT: Desperate to get themselves back in the game, the Dogs got the ideal start through goals to Akermanis and forward Josh Hill, reining the margin back into just over six goals, but that would be as close as the sons of the west would get for the rest of the night.
Two more in a row to Osbourne restored the Hawks’ lead, while Roughead found a second after marking inside 50, pushing the advantage beyond 50 points.
Goals to Franklin and midfielder Jordan Lewis late in the term rendered the result a foregone conclusion, with the Dogs trailing by 58 points.
FT: Unwilling to go down without a fight the Bulldogs grabbed three goals in the opening seven minutes, reducing the margin to 40 points.
But, as they had done all night, the Hawks matched the Dogs’ efforts, responding with three quick majors of their own: Franklin snapped a booming goal from 50 metres out , Roughead kicked truly after marking almost directly in front and – for his eighth of the night – ‘Buddy’ launched the ball high into the crowd after running into an open goal.
From there the game was all but over, with an ominous 51-point win booking the Hawks their first place in a preliminary final in seven years.
HAWTHORN 4.5 10.12 15.17 18.19 (127)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.1 4.4 7.7 11.10 (76)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Franklin 8, Osborne 4, Roughead 3, Brown, Crawford, Lewis.
Western Bulldogs: Akermanis 3, Giansiracusa 2, Cooney 2, Hill 2, Higgins, Johnson.
BEST
Hawthorn: Franklin, Hodge, Mitchell, Osborne, Sewell, Lewis, Roughead.
Western Bulldogs: Griffen, Cross, Akermanis, Boyd, Hill, Callan.
INJURIES
Hawthorn: Croad (ankle), Birchall (corked thigh), Ladson (AC joint), Stokes (corked thigh), Gilham (virus) replaced in the selected side by Stokes
Western Bulldogs: Gilbee (calf), Murphy (corked knee)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Donlon, Rosebury, Ryan
Official crowd: 76,703 at the MCG
