GAME tight, Hawthorn needing one last defensive act to seal the game, who you going to call on? Luke Hodge of course.

With less than two minutes to go on Friday night at Etihad Stadium and the margjn 10 points, the Hawks had been unable to land the finishing blow despite leading all night, and the Western Bulldogs were coming hard.

The ball came deep and high into the Bulldogs forward line and Dogs small forward Luke Dalhaus was waiting for the ball. In came Hodge with the spoil, punching the ball deep into the crowd, right near the Hawthorn cheer squad, which then sparked the umpteenth ‘Hodgeeee, Hodgeeee’ chant for the night.

Five talking points: Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs

It was Hodge’s best play of a night on which, by his own admission, the best he could do was “run into space for teammates. Let’s leave it at that.”

He was scratchy and afterwards throaty, which he put down to a couple of days of fighting a cold passed on from his youngest son, Leo.

Of the three retirees being honoured in front of 48,090 fans (there would have been 70,000 at the MCG but that’s carping) the best player clearly was Matthew Boyd, who had an equal game-high 33 possessions and a goal.

Boyd spent the night parked, as always, across half-back and he was terrific. What retirees tend to hope for is that they have a little bit left in the tank when they play their last game and Boyd’s efforts suggest that is the case. He deservedly picked up votes from some media commentators after the game.

“I was really keen to play and to be out there with these boys one last time,” Boyd told Channel Seven. “It was great to share the ground with two icons of the game.”

Bob Murphy flashed in and out of play with his usual style and grace. He had 15 possessions and brought the Dogs supporters to their feet in the first term when he marked and goaled after the assist from Boyd. Murphy played primarily across half-forward, so he and Hodge found themselves standing each other and in several of the same contests.

Ultimately his efforts weren’t enough and the Dogs became the first defending champion since Hawthorn in 2009 to miss the finals. But Murphy was selling hope at the end, telling Seven with a laugh, “We’ve got rid of the dead wood with these old boys, I expect them to go on to bigger and better things.”

Because the Dogs entered the game with a slim chance of playing finals, the emphasis of the night was on Hodge. Compared to Murphy, there was absolute certainty that this would be Hodge’s last game and it was a Hawthorn home game as well, which helped make it a standing-room only affair. It was a brown and gold house.

There were nice touches before, during and after. Hawks fans with the inclination could have got there early and enjoyed an hour-long Hodge highlights reel on the video screen.

The banners were huge and the crowd festive. Former teammates came to pay their respects. Jordan Lewis was a pre-game visitor to the Hawthorn rooms despite now playing for Melbourne and having his own very big game to play within 18 hours.

Greater Western Sydney captain Callan Ward was in the Bulldogs rooms afterwards, keeping a low-profile, along with Wayne Campbell, the football boss at the Giants but a former assistant coach with the Dogs.

The two teams came together at the end for a symbolic chairing off the ground; Boyd by Liam Picken and Dale Morris, Murphy by Jordan Roughead and Marcus Bontempelli and Hodge by Jarryd Roughead and Shaun Burgoyne.

The Dogs retreated to the rooms, where some hearty applause could be heard from behind closed doors as Beveridge addressed the team for the last time this year.

It was a bit more raucous in the Hawthorn rooms where Hodge and fellow retiree Josh Gibson belted out the club song one last time. They don't leave much to chance at the Hawks and it was notable that strategically placed alongside Hodge in the victory circle was Jaeger O’Meara, who played in his first win and the best of his six games so far for the Hawks.

The symbolism was obvious. The past and the future together. One soldier to be replaced by another.