1. Marcus Bontempelli has all Bulldogs believing
He is not even 21 yet but he is already a superstar. 'The Bont' was quiet in the first final against West Coast but he showed what he can do in just his third final against the toughest of opposition. His goal late in the third quarter was almost the sealer putting the Bulldogs 26 points up and with momentum. Up until that point he had eight clearances, used his 19 disposals with 84 per cent efficiency and had kicked two goals. Above all, he gave his teammates belief they could overcome the triple-premiership Hawks in front of 87,823 spectators, the third-biggest crowd in history to attend a Western Bulldogs match. He finished with 27 disposals and along with left-footed midfielder Jack Macrae, who had 39 disposals, dominated.
2. The Hawks' golden run stops at three flags
In the end the Hawks were not good enough to go four premierships in a row, but they made a mighty attempt. This was a straight-set finals exit that was impossible to stop. Hawthorn almost won the qualifying final before being overcome by a surging young Western Bulldogs, who had finished with a higher percentage and just one game behind the Hawks on the ladder. It is the first time the Hawks have not played in the preliminary final since 2010 and the first time they had lost two finals in succession since 2014. They are one of the greatest teams ever – and with 104 tackles fought until the end - but they could not stop the emerging Bulldogs.
3. Liam Picken is born to play finals
Picken's second quarter set the Bulldogs alight. He had nine touches in the second quarter as the Bulldogs came back from 22 points down to trail by just one behind at half-time. He showed his toughness when he bounced up after what the umpires deemed to be a dangerous tackle from Billy Hartung and then stood tall to mark the football as Luke Breust crashed into him. He then kicked the opening goal of the third quarter to set the Bulldogs on their way before finishing the game with three goals. Not bad when you consider that Williamstown paid part of Picken's rookie wage when he first joined in 2009.
4. Luke Beveridge is a magician
He's shown he has the magic touch for a while now and he didn't disappoint against one of the clubs where he cut his teeth as an assistant. In the second quarter with the Bulldogs trailing by 22 points, he swung the changes. He moved Bontempelli and Jason Johannisen forward. He threw Jake Stringer into the midfield and pushed Josh Dunkley into a high half-forward position. Picken was thrown into the middle and the Bulldogs swarmed the opposition with fierce pressure. Suddenly the game turned and the Western Bulldogs' confidence grew. They ended up kicking more than 100 points for the first time since round 17. He has led the Bulldogs into their 11th preliminary final, yet they have won just one. Can they make their first Grand Final since 1961?
5. The score review system worked
With the Hawks pressing to establish a lead early in the third quarter, Jack Gunston snapped a brilliant goal despite the desperate lunging smother from Easton Wood. However, once the shot was reviewed it became clear Wood had managed to lay a fingertip on the kick and the Hawks only registered a behind. They kicked two more behinds before the Bulldogs went on a rampage, kicking eight unanswered goals. It was the second time for the match a goal had been reversed after reviews showed it was touched. In the first quarter, a snapped goal to Western Bulldogs midfielder Toby McLean was reversed after replays showed Hawks skipper Luke Hodge had touched it.
