1. Can the Hawks win the flag if Buddy and Cyril stay quiet?
Mark Macgugan: Of course they can. Did you not watch Friday night's game? Rioli and Franklin were miles off their best, as were fellow stars Jarryd Roughead and Luke Hodge, and yet Hawthorn was still able to overcome Geelong (albeit only just). Clearly it would help if Franklin kicked 13 and Rioli laid 33 tackles, but the Hawks' depth is such that there are others who can cover when they're not firing. That said, both are proud players and will be desperate to bounce back next week. If it is to be Franklin's last game for Hawthorn – as seems a strong possibility – he'd want to farewell the brown and gold with a better performance than he put up in the preliminary final.
Adam McNicol: My old mate Mark makes some reasonable points there, but I think he's getting a bit carried away. Hawthorn will not win the flag unless Buddy and Cyril - and Jarryd Roughead and Luke Hodge for that matter - fire a shot in the big one. Although Jack Gunston has the talent and accuracy to pick up some of the slack if the big names are quiet next Saturday, relying on the goalkicking of Luke Breust is not an option, as Friday night's game against Geelong showed. I think the Hawks' depth is overrated. Sure, David Hale is a reasonable option up forward and Bradley Hill can do some dazzling things, but can they carry Hawthorn over the line in the Grand Final? I don't think so.
Nick Bowen: Agree with most of what McNic says but still think the Hawks can win with a sub-par Buddy and Cyril. Although if they're going to carry the superstar duo to a flag, Jarryd Roughead's broad shoulders will need to carry most of the load. I seriously doubt Hawthorn will beat Freo or the Swans if it gets just one goal from Buddy, Cyril and Roughy as it did against the Cats. But rest easy Hawks supporters – that's not going to happen. Al Clarkson could scarcely remember the star trio all being so quiet in a game over the past eight seasons and it won't happen in the Grand Final. Expect at least one of them to fire and – with support from Jack Gunston, Luke Breust and co – deliver the Hawks their 11th flag.
2. Is Ryan Crowley the biggest threat to Hawthorn's flag ambitions?
Peter Ryan: No. However, the unlucky winner of the Ryan Crowley tag will be a huge talking point in the lead-up to the game. It might even affect betting on the Norm Smith Medal and could lead to a few sleepless nights for Hawthorn midfielders. Most expect Crowley to sidle up beside Sam Mitchell, but the Hawk star is such a good inside player he will be hard to stop. Cameron Ling did the job on him in the 2008 Grand Final and Hawthorn still won. Other options are Isaac Smith or Shaun Burgoyne. Burgoyne is so versatile that he could take Crowley up and back and remove him from the play whereas Mitchell has to be in the thick of the action. It will be interesting to watch Hawthorn's reaction to Crowley. They will either ignore his taunts or take them on with little to lose in a Grand Final. The latter might make for good viewing. Aaron Sandilands and Freo's three big midfielders are the major threats to Hawthorn's flag ambitions.
Nathan Schmook: Crowley will do his job and shut down one of the Hawks' playmakers – his results this year suggest you can lock that in. That alone, however, will not be enough to deliver Fremantle its maiden premiership. Shut down Sam Mitchell, and Luke Hodge would be expected to rebound from a quiet preliminary final and drive the Hawks. Pete is right to highlight Sandilands, who has played two great finals in a row, and the classy midfielders who feed off him at stoppages. But the biggest threat to Hawthorn is not a player, but a mindset. If the Dockers can handle the moment and reproduce the manic pressure that crushed the Swans at Patersons Stadium, Hawthorn will find itself on the back foot.
Alex Malcolm: I agree with Peter and Nathan. Ryan Crowley is not the biggest threat to the Hawks' premiership ambitions. He is a crucial player for Fremantle but he is only a cog in the well-oiled Lyon machine as opposed to the fulcrum that holds it together. The biggest threat to the Hawks is their goal kicking. We saw that against Geelong on Friday night, we saw it against Adelaide in last year's preliminary final and it cost them last year's Grand Final against the Swans. With the insufferable pressure that Fremantle brings, every Hawthorn set shot will have the price of a king's ransom on it. The Hawks will get their opportunities because they are too good not to. But if they don't take their chances and relinquish the momentum it may be hard to get back against the fanatical Dockers defence.
Several Hawk midfielders will be sweating over a possible meeting with Ryan Crowley. Picture: AFL Media
3. Is Sam Mitchell the best player of this generation of Hawks?
Ashley Browne: Assuming by this generation, we mean from 2005, the start of the Alastair Clarkson era, then I would say it is a line ball between Mitchell and Luke Hodge. Mitchell has been a ball-winning magnet and a clearance king with elite foot and hand skills. This year, he has added a sweeping role across half-back to his considerable repertoire. He is a dual runner-up in the Brownlow Medal and while few experts have him under consideration this year, one punter with a track record of getting these things right has nominated him as the player to beat and the money has flowed accordingly. But for Hawthorn fans, deciding between Mitchell and Hodge is like asking a parent to choose a favourite child. Hodge set the template for the unsociable football that led to the upstart 2008 flag for which he won the Norm Smith Medal. His toughness, leadership and elite skills makes him a favourite with fans and a player many of the famous Hawks of the 70s and 80s have come to think of as one of their own. Sure, he was down during the preliminary final against the Cats, but he had some key touches late. And he was brilliant in the qualifying final and so many of the lead-up matches before then. Hawthorn has been blessed with many great players over the last 50 years. The fairer question is whether Mitchell and Hodge sit alongside other outstanding Hawthorn leaders such as Don Scott, Leigh Matthews, Michael Tuck, Gary Ayres and Jason Dunstall. To that, the answer is a resounding 'yes'.
Callum Twomey: Fair to say that Ash has a soft spot for the men in brown and gold which might make it tougher to separate them. This could be seen as a classic case of fence sitting, but I think we will be in a much better position to answer the question in a week's time. If Hodge can again produce a match-winning effort in a Grand Final, and perhaps wins a second Norm Smith Medal, then I would say that validates his spot at the top of the tree. If Mitchell wins a Norm Smith or puts in another game like Friday night's preliminary final, then he can stand at the same level. Of Hawthorn's two finals so far this season, Hodge has been best afield in the first, and Mitchell in the second. One more either way may swing the ledger but if the players were lined up against a brick fence and you had to take one, I'd be picking Hodge. By a whisker.
Adam McNicol: Not sure there's much more to say, to be honest. But I like Cal's point about the upcoming Grand Final. If either Hodge or Mitchell dominates against Freo, and Hawthorn wins, then that bloke will edge in front as the greatest player of the Clarko era. If they are both quiet and Hawthorn loses, no one will be wondering about such trivial things as this question. For what it's worth, I think Mitchell has a lot to prove in the big game after his brain-fade against the Swans last season when he gave away a crucial 50m penalty late in the third quarter. The act of ill-discipline (he didn't throw the ball back on the full) proved to be very, very costly.
Possibly the two best Hawks in the Clarkson era - Luke Hodge and Sam Mitchell. Picture: AFL Media
4. Crystal ball time: It's 5pm next Saturday. Who has the premiership cup? And for a bonus point, who has the Norm Smith Medal?
Peter Ryan: The Hawks have a massive task to overcome the ultra defensive Freo but I suspect they can do it. As we have seen with Ross Lyon-coached teams, the Dockers stand up under finals pressure. Hawthorn will feel the full force of their tackling pressure and the Hawks' kicking game will face its fiercest test. If Fremantle can block the outlets, Hawthorn will struggle to move the ball effectively. Having said that, experience will be invaluable. The Hawks have champions in Lance Franklin and Cyril Rioli who can be unstoppable regardless of the pressure applied. Brian Lake has also added a rebounding element to their backline. Big game experience and the extra day's rest will tell in the finish. Hawthorn just, I think. Lance Franklin gets them over the line for the Norm Smith.
Matt Thompson: This is Hawthorn's second chance. If they don't win the flag this year their window could close. I agree with Pete that big game experience should swing the game in the Hawks favour, along with their 42-point win over Freo in Tassie earlier this year. But the pressure the Dockers put on the Swans on Saturday night was like nothing we've seen on the finals stage. If they bring that to the 'G, then who knows what's going to happen? I'm tipping Hawthorn. But you know what, a draw wouldn't be a bad result. Extra cash for the League from a replay a week later! After all, who really wants this season to end? Luke Hodge takes the Medal.
Alex Malcolm: If both sides bring their best football I think Hawthorn have too much class and too much fire-power. They have been unequivocally the best side over the last two seasons and they have been far too good for Fremantle on two occasions in that time despite the Dockers being easily the best defence in the AFL under Ross Lyon. But they face a different Dockers line-up in the Grand Final and if the Hawks are merely a few per cent off on the day the Dockers will pounce. Getting a kick in this game will be tough, let alone winning it. Whoever does will thoroughly deserve to be premiers. I'm with Pete and Matty. Hawthorn, but without much conviction. The Norm Smith? Cyril Rioli.
