HAWTHORN has survived a scare from Gold Coast to record a nine-point win at Metricon Stadium on Saturday.

The Hawks led by 10 points at the final change and after two Brendan Whitecross goals to open the quarter, blew the lead to 22 and looked home.

But in their final match of the season the Suns did not fade and goals to Danny Stanley, Jared Brennan and a brilliant running effort from Harley Bennell brought the margin back to five with plenty of time remaining.

Hawthorn ruckman Paul Johnson steadied the ship when he converted after Rory Thompson gave away a controversial free kick for holding.

Hawthorn won 16.10 (106) to 14.13 (97).

It was a tight contest all day, with Gold Coast holding an 11-point half time lead.

But a four goal third quarter from Luke Breust helped the Hawks overcome the sluggish start to set up the win.

Resting eight regular players ahead of Friday night's first final against Geelong at the MCG, they were slow out of the blocks and struggled for much of the day.

Coach Alastair Clarkson was captured on camera giving his players a blast at the break and they responded.

"We allowed Gold Coast far too much control of the ball at the stoppages and far too many inside 50s," Clarkson said.

"Gold Coast, if they were a little bit more experienced and a little bit more polished, they would have put us to the sword a few times with the amount of inside 50 entries they had."

Breust was the catalyst, catching fire in an amazing 13-minute period in the third quarter that netted him four of his career-high five goals.

He was good in the air and on the ground and turned opponent Jarrod Harbrow inside out before steadying to kick his fifth and most memorable goal.

It took his tally for the season to 30 goals from 16 matches.

With two goals to Isaac Smith to compliment Breust's outburst in the third, Hawthorn kicked six goals to two to turn for home with a 10-point lead.

The Hawks' surge was no surprise as the Suns have won the third quarter a league-low three times this season.

The loss means Gold Coast can still finish with the wooden spoon if Port Adelaide defeats Melbourne at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

The match started promisingly for the home team, kicking five goals to three in the first quarter, with lively rookie Brandon Matera kicking two.

Gary Ablett was magnificent for Gold Coast, racking up an incredible 43 disposals and 13 clearances.

Influential players
Gary Ablett saved one of his best performances for last. Even in a losing side he was head and shoulders above everyone on the field with 43 touches and 13 clearances. Brandon Matera (26 disposals and three goals) and Harley Bennell (23 touches, one goal) also played their best games.

Aside from Breust, Sam Mitchell showed he lost nothing with his week out, racking up 26 disposals and five clearances in a nice tune-up to take on Geelong. Brendan Whitecross had 23 touches, five clearances and three goals in a polished display.

What it means
Although not their cleanest performance of the season, Hawks fans won't be too disappointed going into the finals. While Franklin, Rioli and Hodge were cooling their heals in Melbourne, Mitchell got some valuable game time, while Breust and Smith excelled up forward. The Hawks did what they had to do.

They didn't get the coveted four points, but the Suns gave their fans a four-quarter effort to finish with. The midfield of Swallow, Bennell, Caddy, and Matera when he moved there, were full of run and excitement. Gold Coast will be cheering loudly for Melbourne to beat Port Adelaide on Sunday.

Dream Team highlight
Hawthorn: Brendan Whitecross ($291,600) was the Hawks' best on field with 129 Dream Team points, while Isaac Smith (111) and Thomas Murphy (100) also scored well.
Gold Coast: For the Suns, Gary Ablett capped off a brilliant season with another stellar individual game, scoring 147 points while Brandon Matera showed what he is capable of with 133.

So close
He's forged a reputation as one of the longest kicks in the competition this season, and Gold Coast's Trent McKenzie showed why again on Saturday. Getting the ball just forward of the centre square, the 'Cannon' launched a missile from 75m that looked certain to go through for an incredible goal until it cruelly bounced at a right angle just 2m out and stayed in the field of play.

Stats that (didn't) matter
Sometimes the stats do lie and this match was one of those occasions. Gold Coast had more disposals (363-353), clearances (45-36) and inside 50s (59-49) but still lost.

FIRST QUARTER
Gold Coast had their first goal from the most unlikely of sources- defender Nathan Bock started the game up forward and justified the move with the first in the fourth minute. Ruck Josh Fraser had the Suns' second before Hawthorn struck back with two goals of their own. Showing how cruel football can be, a 75m Trent McKenzie kick looked destined to run into an open goal only to land the wrong way and bounce away from the goals, a metre from the line. Brandon Matera made up for it with a Suns goal soon after. Michael Osborne replied before two Suns goals gave the home team a nine-point lead at quarter-time.
Gold Coast by 9 points

SECOND QUARTER
Brandon Matera's third goal for the game started the Suns in the second quarter.  Isaac Smith kicked a goal for the Hawks not long after but a goal to Gold Coast's Harley Bennell kept the Suns ahead. Two goals to the Hawks then eroded their lead back to two points. Josh Caddy steadied for Gold Coast in the 25th minute and the Suns held on to an 11-point lead into the main break.
Gold Coast by 11 points

THIRD QUARTER
Three consecutive Hawks goals to start the third term undid the Suns' work in the previous two and gave Hawthorn the lead again. The Suns regained it, through a goal to Caddy and three Suns' miskicks, before Luke Breust kicked his third for the match. His fourth and fifth followed in quick succession, as the Hawks seemed to start controlling the match. Zac Smith soccered through a goal to stop the Hawks momentum and the away side finished with a 10-point lead going into the last quarter.
Hawthorn by 10 points

FOURTH QUARTER
Two goals to Brendan Whitecross gave Hawthorn the biggest lead of the game in the first seven minutes but Danny Stanley kicked a goal for Gold Coast to keep his team in the game. The Suns spent much of the quarter in their 50m but they were unable to kick a goal until Harley Bennell intercepted a pass and ran 100m into an open goal. Jared Brennan's goal not long after made the lead five points. A tense six goalless minutes followed before Paul Johnson and Paul Puopolo kicked goals for the Hawks, putting the game out of reach for the Suns. Jacob Gillbee kicked his first AFL goal close to the siren for Gold Coast.
Hawthorn by 9 points

Hawthorn    3.4    6.6    12.7    16.10 (106)
Gold Coast    5.1    8.5    10.9    14.13 (97)

GOALS
Hawthorn: Breust 5, Whitecross 3, Smith 3, Osborne 2, Lisle, Puopolo, Johnson
Gold Coast: Matera 3, Caddy 2, Bennell 2, Fraser 2, Stanley, Bock, Smith, Brennan, Gillbee

BEST
Hawthorn: Breust, Mitchell, Whitecross, Smith, Puopolo
Gold Coast: Ablett, Matera, Bennell, Thompson, Smith, Caddy, Prestia

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
Gold Coast: Swallow (hamstring)

SUBSTITUTES
Hawthorn: David Hale replaced by Kyle Cheney in the third quarter
Gold Coast: Joel Tippett replaced by Jacob Gillbee in the second quarter

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Kamolins, Wenn, Armstrong

Official crowd: 19,314 at Metricon Stadium

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the clubs or the AFL