This preliminary final showcased everything that is exquisite, brutal and cruel about the sport.
S ome of the most memorable games in the history of Australian rules football have come in preliminary finals. Some, like Geelong’s win over North Melbourne in 1994, are remembered as fluctuating, end-to-end shootouts. Some, like Collingwood v GWS in 2023, were hand-to-hand combat.
Some, like Hawthorn’s win over Melbourne in 1987 and Sydney’s over Essendon in 1996, are remembered for their finishes. Some, like the Crows-Bulldogs game in 1997, wrenched the hearts out of the losing supporters. Some are remembered for individual brilliance – Ablett in 1989, Long in 1993, Kouta in 1999 and Cox in 2018.
And some, like the 2016 prelim in western Sydney and the Brisbane-Geelong game in 2024, are remembered for the high standard of play throughout.
The Brisbane-Hawthorn prelim on Saturday sampled the best of those and distilled them into one discombobulating, unforgettable brew.
His team had a lot to be proud of.
The cojones on that umpire to make that call cannot be underestimated. With a baying crowd, a season on the line, and seconds on the clock, he put himself in the right spot and he didn’t flinch.
We said something similar in last year’s preliminary final. As Mitchell later said, there was a point where he wondered whether his Hawks weren’t good enough.
Some of the heroics earlier in the game – Conor McKenna’s Gaelic conjuring job and Charlie Cameron thwacking a goal in front of the members stand – feel like they happened a month ago.