Grant Birchall – 6
The normally mild-mannered defender tried to rough up diminutive Caleb Daniel before the opening bounce, but the Dogs were up for the fight. Birchall wasn't at his damaging best but offered typical rebound with 18 touches.

Luke Breust – 4
Just wasn't the zippy small forward's night. Fans rubbed their eyes in disbelief when the reliable goalkicker sprayed a set shot from 15m in the second term and that missed chance hurt, as the Dogs stormed to the lead with 12 of the next 13 goals. Bump on Liam Picken will be looked at by the Match Review Panel.

Shaun Burgoyne - 7
Picked holes in the Dogs' defence with every one of his seven touches in the first quarter and threatened every time he went near the ball. Finished with 22 touches, four score assists and a goal, but too much heavy-lifting was left to the soon-to-be 34-year-old. 

Taylor Duryea – 7
Took a saving mark in the goalsquare early and scrapped all night against increasingly overwhelming odds down back.

Full match coverage and statistics

Jack Fitzpatrick – 5
Sometimes makes the ball look like a hand grenade that he can't wait to offload but the ex-Demon usually took the right option and left nothing in the tank.

James Frawley – 6
Saved a certain major early when he lunged and got a vital hand in to deny Liam Picken running into an open goalsquare, leading to Jack Gunston slotting a six-pointer at the other end. Solid game at full-back. 

Josh Gibson – 7
Opposition teams have zeroed-in on the rebounding defender and Gibson once again wasn't give the space to unleash his scything left foot. Still ever-reliable with his 20 disposals.

Jack Gunston – 6
Put in a typically hard-working shift but without Jarryd Roughead alongside him, Gunston attracts defenders like bees to honey and opponents make his life tough. Was the Hawks' most dangerous tall forward but only booted one goal.

Five things we learned: Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs

Billy Hartung - 6
Called in for his line-breaking run, but there were few opportunities for anyone to find time and space. Never gave in and had seven touches as the game opened up in the fourth term. 

Bradley Hill – 7
Got dangerous forward of centre and thumped a super running goal from the paint of 50m to answer the Dogs' two-in-a-row. Tried hard in what might have been his last game in brown and gold. 

Luke Hodge - 8
If there was a head-on collision between Hodge and a bulldozer, you'd pick the Hawks skipper every time. Hodge started the game with his head bandaged in expectation of what was to come and he did it all, getting a fingernail to Toby McLean's snap at goal, booting two beauties of his own and throwing himself into contests with reckless abandon.

Jordan Lewis – 4
From chocolates to boiled lollies for the vice-captain who ended the game watching Hawthorn's shot at history slipping away in a tracksuit on the bench with a suspected hamstring injury. Just 10 touches after 36 last week in his best game for the year.

How the fans saw it: Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs

Ben McEvoy – 6
The workhorse big man won 38 hit-outs and competed for everything in the air, doing the best he could to stem the midfield tide flowing the Bulldogs' way. McEvoy's effort to win the contested ball at half-back and snap a kick to Ryan Schoenmakers to set up a goal was arguably the highlight of Hawthorn's night. 

Sam Mitchell - 7
Must've sighed with relief at the opening bounce when no tagger locked-on to his back, but the Dogs still gave him no breathing space to use his 24 disposals. Too much was left to the champion midfielder – he'll enjoy Jaeger O'Meara and possibly Tom Mitchell's arrival next season. 

Paul Puopolo – 6
The pocket dynamo left nothing out there but just couldn’t exert the influence he, or the Hawks, would've wanted. Kicked one major and laid 10 tackles.

Cyril Rioli - 6
Slippery and dangerous inside 50 all match, to the point that he was isolated one-out in the goalsquare for stretches. Was electric in patches but went missing at times. Finished with a goal and three score assists.

Ryan Schoenmakers - 3
Rarely sighted with just five possessions for the match – only two after quarter-time – in his third game back from a long-term groin issue. 

Liam Shiels - 8
Not a noted goalkicker but the captain-in-waiting stepped up with 2.1 – one of his goals coming after he caught Caleb Daniel holding the ball - from his 20 disposals and laid 12 tackles. Couldn't have done much more. 

James Sicily – 5
The blond-haired youngster loves the big stage and started his first final with aplomb, taking on a tackler and snapping the game's opening goal. Took six marks but faded out of the game on his return from illness.

Isaac Smith – 5
It will be a long summer for the Hawks speedster. Smith did his best to erase the memory of last week's missed shot after the siren, however his foot skills were shaky at times and he panicked in defence when pushing Liam Picken in the back and gifting a critical goal. 

Ben Stratton – 6
Had Jake Stringer on a tight leash early on but the sheer volume of ball coming the Hawthorn defence's way didn't help his cause and 'The Package' finished with three majors in an even battle.

Brendan Whitecross – 5
Was one of Hawthorn's best in a losing side against Geelong with his poise and elite kicking off half-back but struggled to get into the contest in the semi-final, finishing with just 12 disposals.