THE WESTERN Bulldogs have ended Hawthorn's triple-premiership reign and advanced to their first preliminary final since 2010, standing up at the MCG to win a dramatic semi-final by 23 points on Friday night.
In a stunning performance that continues a fairytale September, the Bulldogs outmuscled and outran their more experienced opponents and won through to face Greater Western Sydney, winning 16.11 (107) to 12.12 (84).
They landed a series of body-blows in a six-goal run in the third quarter before Tory Dickson landed the knockout punch in the opening minute of the final term, opening up a 32-point lead and sending the Hawks out of the finals in straight sets.
Hawthorn kicked four of the last five goals of the match, but it was too little too late as the Bulldogs soaked up a famous finals win in front of 87,823 fans.
It marks just the second time since 1998 that a team has won through to a preliminary final from seventh spot on the ladder, and the first time since 2010 that the Hawks have failed to win a final.
Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli enhanced his reputation with a best-on-ground performance, controlling the stoppages and finishing with 27 possessions, eight clearances and two goals.
The 20-year-old leader stripped Hawks captain Luke Hodge of the ball in the opening minute of the final term to set up the knock-out goal that snuffed out any chance of a Hawthorn fightback.
Luke Beveridge's prediction that the cut-throat final would be won with intensity, grunt and courage rang true, with the Bulldogs backing their stoppage dominance to set up the win.
They won the clearances 42-34 and ran hard at the Hawks once they won the contested ball (161-111), taking their chances in front of goal.
There were young heroes all over the ground for the Bulldogs, with mercurial forward Jake Stringer kicking two clutch third-quarter goals to burst back to form.
Midfielder Jack Macrae (39 possessions), Liam Picken (24 and three goals) and Clay Smith (10 tackles and two goals) all stood tall and helped turn the match in their team's favour.
With 344 games of finals experience, compared to the Bulldogs 106, Hawthorn's composure on the big stage was telling early and the Dogs seemed nervous by comparison.
They were the team panicking with the ball and not taking their chances, with Dickson missing two set shots he would normally convert.
Cyril Rioli was causing mayhem at the other end of the ground with his tackling pressure and the Hawks raced to an 18-point lead.
It took stand-in captain Easton Wood to get the Bulldogs on the board before a Josh Dunkley goal was overturned when Luke Hodge claimed he had touched the ball off his boot.
The danger sign for the Bulldogs was Hawthorn's uncontested mark advantage at quarter time (21-12), and within 30 seconds of the second quarter starting Rioli had burst free inside 50 to open up a 17-point lead.
Panic was again setting in for the Bulldogs as the Hawks went on a three-goal run, but the match turned on an act of courage from hardnosed Bulldog Picken.
Picken held his nerve under a high ball and took a brave mark, with Luke Breust cannoning into him. It was an act that led to a Smith goal and seemed to steel the Dogs.
When Smith again got free inside 50, the Bulldogs cut the margin to three points and the tide was turning quickly, with midfielders Hunter and Bontempelli starting to assert themselves.
The third quarter was when Bontempelli caught fire as the Bulldogs turned a one-point deficit into a 26-point lead.
It was a quarter that would have sent shivers through the remaining four finalists and given the Bulldogs' fans reason to believe the club can add to its sole 1954 premiership.
HAWTHORN 3.4 7.5 8.9 12.12 (84)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 1.5 6.10 12.11 16.11 (107)
GOALS
Hawthorn: Shiels 2, Hodge 2, Sicily, Gunston, Puopolo, Rioli, Hill, Breust, Fitzpatrick, Burgoyne,
Western Bulldogs: Stringer 3, Picken 3, Smith 2, Bontempelli 2, Wood, McLean, Dunkley, Roughead, Dickson, Daniel
BEST
Hawthorn: Shiels, Hodge, Mitchell, Smith, Duryea
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Macrae, Picken, Smith, Dunkley, Dahlhaus
INJURIES
Hawthorn: TBC
Western Bulldogs: TBC
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Chris Donlon, Matt Stevic, Mathew Nicholls
Official crowd: 87, 823 at the MCG
