HAWTHORN'S 2010 campaign has ended with a 30-point loss to Fremantle in Saturday's elimination final at Subiaco Oval.
In front of a raucous home crowd, the young Fremantle side shut down all of Hawthorn's main weapons and ran tirelessly the other way to set up a 42-point lead at the last break.
Hawthorn kicked four goals to two in the final quarter, but Fremantle withstood the late challenge to win 14.10 (94) to 8.16 (64) and continue its fairytale season.
It was Fremantle's fifth final in 16 years, and the defiant win sets up a Friday-night semi-final with Geelong at the MCG.
No match-up was more important for the home side than Adam McPhee on Luke Hodge, with the reborn tagger holding the Norm Smith Medallist to an ineffective 13 possessions - eight of those coming in the last quarter.
With Luke McPharlin outpointing star forward Lance Franklin, and Cyril Rioli suffering a hamstring injury early in the second quarter, each of Hawthorn's match-winners had been contained.
David Mundy (25 possessions, six clearances and five forward entries) was the game's most influential midfielder despite lacking the support of ruckman Aaron Sandilands, who spent most of the last three quarters deep in the forward line after copping a knock to his left knee.
Fremantle fielded 10 first- or second-year players and the brave selection call paid off for coach Mark Harvey, with all standing up in the biggest game of their short careers.
Midfield tyro Anthony Morabito was particularly influential, and his first-quarter running goal after three bounces on the wing epitomised the difference in the two sides.
Stephen Hill was also superb, breaking free of Chance Bateman to win 22 possessions and kick an important goal at the start of the second half.
Hawthorn, meanwhile, had nobody able to run and carry on the open Subiaco wings, and the midfield grunt work of Sam Mitchell (34 possessions and six clearances) and Shaun Burgoyne (28 and five) was made redundant.
Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett and his board had been delayed in Melbourne, and by the time they arrived late in the first quarter Fremantle had skipped out to a three-goal lead.
Mundy made a prolific start, while Greg Broughton and Nat Fyfe displayed courage to cut off Hawthorn's forward entries.
Franklin lacked discipline early, and his major from the goal square was the wasteful Hawks' only one for the first half, as they crashed out of the finals in humbling fashion.
Fremantle 4.3 6.4 12.7 14.10 (94)
Hawthorn 1.4 1.11 4.13 8.16 (64)
GOALS
Fremantle: Pavlich 3, Mayne 2, Broughton, Morabito, Sandilands, Walters, Hill, Crowley, McPhee, Mundy, Silvagni
Hawthorn: Roughead 4, Franklin 2, Whitecross, Ladson
BEST
Fremantle: McPhee, Mundy, McPharlin, Fyfe, Broughton, Hill, Pavlich, Grover
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Burgoyne, Lewis, Roughead, Gibson
INJURIES
Fremantle: Sandilands (knee)
Hawthorn: Peterson replaced in selected side by Ladson, Rioli (hamstring), Ellis (ankle)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Donlon, Kennedy, Meredith
Official crowd: 42,719 at Subiaco Oval
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
