Hawthorn 16.11.107 d West Coast Eagles 8.13.61

Coach: Alastair Clarkson
Captain: Luke Hodge

Backs: Ben Stratton (24), Brian Lake (17), James Frawley (12)
Half-backs: Grant Birchall (14), Josh Gibson (6), Shaun Burgoyne (9)
Centres: Bradley Hill (10), Sam Mitchell (5), Jordan Lewis (3)
Half-forwards: Luke Breust (22), Ryan Schoenmakers (25), Isaac Smith (16)
Forwards: Paul Puopolo (28), Jarryd Roughead (2), Liam Shiels (26)
Followers: Ben McEvoy (7), Luke Hodge (15), Cyril Rioli (33)

Interchange: Taylor Duryea (8), Jack Gunston (19), David Hale (20), Matthew Suckling (4)
Substitute: Matt Suckling replaced David Hale during the third quarter

Goals: Gunston 4, Smith 3, Rioli 2, Birchall 1, Hill 1, Hodge 1, McEvoy 1, Roughead 1,
Schoenmakers 1, Suckling 1

Best Players: Burgoyne, Frawley, Gunston, Hodge, Mitchell, Rioli, Smith

Norm Smith Medal: Cyril Rioli

Umpires: Jeff Dalgleish, Brett Rosebury, Matt Stevic

Attendance: 98,633 (at MCG, Saturday, October 3, 2015)

Back-to-back-to-back. On the hottest Saturday in Grand Final history and before an audience of almost 99,000, Hawthorn truly affirmed its greatness. Hawthorn’s 46-point mauling of West Coast to complete 2103-14-15 Premiership trilogy - only the sixth League team to achieve such a feat in 118 years - made a mockery of much-anticipated contest.

Delivering on the famous mantra “Play Your Role”, Alastair Clarkson’s team were both inspired and inspirational. As one respected newspaper columnist noted: “The Hawks aren’t great because they keep on winning, they keep on winning because they are great”.

Everywhere you looked there was greatness – over there was Hodge, in there was Mitchell, back there was Lewis and up there was Rioli – the latter the Norm Smith Medallist in the grand traditions of uncles Maurice Rioli (Richmond) and Michael Long (Essendon).

On an afternoon in which the Eagles’ much-publicised “web defence” was torn asunder, James Frawley kept the Coleman Medallist Josh Kennedy goalless, and Brian Lake and David Hale went out as few could ever hope to do.

In truth, there were Hawthorn heroes on every line.