1. Grand Finals aren't made in May
The Hawks lost three of their first five matches, and were 5-4 and teetering on the fringe of the top eight after a 62-point loss to Richmond in round nine. But while fans worried, coach Alastair Clarkson had things under control. He had his team peaking over the second half of the season, reeling off 11 wins in 12 matches to claim top spot. Yes, Grand Finals aren't made in May. Sadly, premierships aren't won in August either.

2. Sam Mitchell is a left-footer
Two things we've always known about Sam Mitchell: he's a ball magnet, and a clearance machine. Nothing changed on that front this year. But who knew he was actually a left-footer? The former skipper seemingly became more damaging by foot this season, because, increasingly, he would swing onto his 'wrong' side and pass with precision. Then came the explanation: Mitchell had been a left-footer as a kid, been changed to a right-footer by an early coach, and had now decided he was better on his original side after all. His booming left-foot goal against the Brisbane Lions in round 12 confirmed it.

3. Alastair Clarkson is a handyman
When Clarkson punched a hole in the MCG coaches' box wall at quarter-time against Collingwood in round 17 (an errant Matt Suckling kick-in had just gifted the Magpies a goal), the Hawks coach revealed his expertise extended beyond football. Clarkson's dad had been a builder, and had apparently passed on some skills to his son, because Clarkson offered to fix the damage himself. Unfortunately, health and safety rules dictated the MCG had to use an approved contractor, so Clarkson made an apology and footed the bill. Whatever they thought of the show of anger, Hawks fans were left in no doubt they had a coach who really, really cared.

4. Shaun Burgoyne is 'Mr Fix-it'
The veteran earned the tag from Clarkson after starring in the Hawks' win over the Lions in round 12. Burgoyne played everywhere this season, except in the ruck. He could do a job down back, go forward and kick a goal, or move into the midfield and provide some clearance grunt when needed. His performance in the Grand Final, when he had eight clearances, demonstrated his versatility. The question: For how much longer can the 29-year-old maintain his high level?

5. A ruptured Achilles doesn't have to mean the end
After Anthony Rocca and Russell Robertson popped their Achilles in years gone by, they never re-captured their best form. That fact was pointed out to Jarryd Roughead many times as he recovered from the same injury last year. But the big Hawk made a mockery of the dire predictions of his footballing doom, returning in round two and missing only one more game. Not only that, he returned to the ruck, despite the coaches' initial reservations, and proved his purple patch in the position before his injury in 2011 hadn't been a fluke.

6. Never risk a dodgy hammy…
Let's just call it, 'The Lance Franklin Saga'. The superstar forward had some hamstring tightness against Carlton in round 14, finishing the game on the bench. But the following week, he convinced the Hawks' medicos and his coach that he was right to play, and lined up against Greater Western Sydney in a game Hawthorn would have won by 100 points without him. The result? Twang. Hamstring gone. At that point, the Hawks ramped up the caution meter; two weeks became three, and next thing we knew more than a month had passed, there had been a car accident and a bout of illness along the way, and Franklin still wasn't back on the park.

7. …But no Buddy doesn't mean no Hawthorn
Hawthorn won five of six games without Franklin, and the Hawks weren't just scraping and scrapping over the line either; they blew teams away. In all six games the Hawks booted 17 goals or more, spreading the scoring load. Jack Gunston and Roughead stepped up as tall targets, booting 19 and 11 goals respectively, and Luke Breust added 15 from ground level. Jordan Lewis had his turn in round 17 with a five-goal haul against the Magpies, and Luke Hodge bagged five on his return from injury against Essendon the following week.

8. The Kennett Curse might be real
The one loss in that six-game block without Franklin was to nemesis Geelong. We all know the story: Hawks beat Cats in 2008 Grand Final; Jeff Kennett goes on TV and declares Hawks have a mental hold on Cats; Paul Chapman vows never to lose to Hawks again; doesn't. The streak had reached eight by the time the two teams faced off in round 19, but the timing seemed right to end it. Hawthorn was on a roll, and Geelong was just going. However, Chapman lifted (as usual) and the Cats raced to a 51-point buffer. Remarkably, the Hawks clawed it back, and held the lead when the final siren sounded. Unfortunately, Tom Hawkins held the ball, and he bombed it through from 55m to make it nine straight for Geelong. Yep, there's definitely something in that curse.

9. The young kids have got some talent
Two of them, in particular, added to the Hawks' potency: Gunston and Breust. Gunston finished with 39 goals from 19 games, overcoming a slow start to become a key contributor. He ran hard up and down the ground, took marks and plucked the ball from the deck, and converted from set shots (let's not mention his last shot in the Grand Final) and snaps. At only 20, the former Adelaide Crow is going to have a big career in the brown and gold. Breust burst onto the scene last year, but took another leap forward in 2012. The boy from Temora in NSW could usually be counted on for a couple of goals each time he took the field (he kicked two or more in every game from rounds eight to 20, and two in all three finals), and tackled hard as well (average of 4.7 tackles a game). He spent some time in the midfield as the year wore on and showed he has a future there, too.

10. It wasn't the year of the Hawk after all. Maybe 2013?
Clarkson put the 10-point Grand Final loss to the Sydney Swans neatly in perspective when he pointed out that no one had died. It wasn't a "true tragedy," he said. It certainly did hurt, though. Still, as Clarkson also said, there's hope for 2013. There should be improvement to come from the young players, and stars such as Franklin and Rioli will, at the very least, be just as good. Without a young, superstar midfielder ready to take over, much will hinge on whether the seasoned bodies of Mitchell, Sewell and Hodge can continue to perform at an elite level.

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