AFL Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. There’s a famous expression that ‘what you don’t know can’t hurt you’, and that phrase was the true embodiment of Hawthorn’s 2024 season.
The Hawks suffered a heartbreaking semi-final loss against Port Adelaide on Friday, with skipper James Sicily’s poster late in the game just inches off being a matchwinning goal. Hawthorn’s rise to flag contender in five months was the unexpected story of 2024, with many tipping them to be a bottom-four side. The beauty of their season was the sheer ignorance and arrogance of how they played their football, reinventing their style on the run and enjoying their rise up the ladder.
The Hawks rise has been a captivating watch in 2024. Picture: Getty Images After a poor start to the season, Hawthorn was one of the competition’s best sides across the park; ranked first overall for scoring and defending after round 16. In the weeks after the round 10 loss to Port Adelaide, when they were 3-7, the Hawks went 11-2 and stormed home to a finals berth.
During that 13-game span they were rebranded the ‘Hollywood Hawks’, becoming the major entertainment for neutral fans who loved fast-paced action, exciting football and youthful exuberance. But after the club’s first finals campaign since 2018, the Hawks will be active in the off-season and enter 2025 with a target on their backs. Josh Battle will move to Hawthorn as a free agent.
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