Hawthorn will roll on to the second week of the AFL Finals for the second year in a row, claiming a famous elimination final win over GWS in Sydney's west. 

The Hawks conceded a seven-goal advantage in the second half as the Giants snatched back the lead early into the final term.

Momentum would soon swing back in favour of the Hawks, with two goals from Mabior Chol and another from Sam Butler being the difference. 

The win for Sam Mitchell's side sets up a match against Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Friday night. 

Here's how the Hawks' elimination final win over the Giants unfolded...

Match Timeline

 2025-09-06T05:15:00Z 
Hawthorn WON BY 19 POINTS
ENGIE Stadium
GWS   
88
FT
107
   HAW
    #AFLGiantsHawks
MATCH CENTRE ▶︎   

MATCH STATS >>> GWS VS HAWTHORN MATCH CENTRE

Quarter 4

GWS: 13.10.88
Hawthorn: 16.11.107

0:26 - Chol puts the icing on the cake as the clock ticks down, booting Hawthorn's 16th major, and the Hawks are on their way to Adelaide!

1:18 - Jake Riccardi adds more salt into the wounds, missing a shot from close range after winning the Giants the ball. 13-point lead to the Hawks. 

2:22 - Another missed chance for the Giants, with Lachie Ash running through the middle of the ground only to ick it straight to a pair of Hawks defenders.

3:00 - Three minutes left in the game, with GWS facing an uphill battle as the ball sits deep in their defence while they require three goals for a win. 

6:25 - Weddle wins a free kick in the middle of his side's attacking 50 for an arm chop, but the Hawks gun can't capitalise on the opportunity and only adds a behind. Hawks by 14. 

7:15 - CHOL ADDS ANOTHER IN 18 SECONDS! The Hawks instantly go forward once more, with Chol doing the roving and snapping from 30 metres out to make it a tough task for GWS.

7:33 - Sam Butler wins a free kick in the forward line after pinging Harry Himmelberg holding the ball. The young Hawk's shot is perfect, and extends Hawthorn's lead to more than a goal. 

9:53 - The Giants go end-to-end from the kick-in and Bedford has an acre of space inside 50 near the boundary. He calmly looks inside and finds his captain Toby Greene, whose set shot from 40m out starts and ends right for a point.

11:02 - Moore pulls in a diving mark near the 50-metre line, but his set shot fades to the left for a behind. Hawks by two.

14:30 - Multiple behinds for the Hawks has the away side back in front with plenty of this game still to come. 

18:37 - It's a missed chance from Jake Stringer with a snapping shot from 20 metres out, but the behind has the Giants in front for the first time since the 13-minute mark of the first term. 

18:58 - The Giants have levelled the scores within two minutes of the final term, with a set shot from Jesse Hogan bringing parity back to the game. 

Quarter 3

GWS: 12.7.79
Hawthorn: 13.7.85

A see-sawing affair has seen GWS carry all of the momentum into the final term, having booted the final six goals of the game to make it a one-score difference. 

0:19 - A one-goal game with 19 seconds on the clock in the third term, with Xavier O'Halloran kicking the goal of the day after gathering a grounded ball, turning toward goal and kicking truly from just inside 50. 

1:24 - Five in a row for GWS, with sub Josh Kelly booting his second goal of the term to make the deficit just two goals. 

INJURY WATCH - Toby Bedford has come from the ground and is in the rooms in the dying minutes of the third term with a leg concern.

3:34 - THE TSUNAMI HAS ARRIVED! The Giants go forward from the centre clearance, and Jake Stringer gathers and gets it to Toby Bedford, who puts his skates on and drills it from close range, cutting Hawthorn's lead to three goals. 

3:56 - A third on the trot for the Giants, with a bouncing ball inside 50 finding Hogan, who snapped from the pocket with perfection. 

6:23 - There's a heartbeat for the Giants, who kicked two goals in as many minutes as Thomas and Kelly pile on goals to make the gap 30 points again. 

8:36 - GINNIVAN WITH ANOTHER!! The Hawks force another turnover and Ginnivan finds space inside 50 and kicks truly on the run to make it a seven-goal buffer. 

9:10 - We have a goal, with Jack Ginnivan kicking his second of the day after the Giants hardly got it past their defensive 50 from a kick-in. Jiath pounced and Ginnivan got on the end of it to convert from range. 

9:32 - The Hawks miss two chances to snap the deadlock as Gunston and Impey add behinds to their score. They lead by five goals.

10:46 - The chance of a breakthrough goes begging, as Aaron Cadman rushes his attempt from close range and kicks it to the near side. We reach the halfway mark of the quarter with no goal kicked. 

SUB MADE - Changkuoth Jiath has been brought into the game for the Hawks, replacing Calsher Dear (tactical).

16:27 - Both sides with missed chances in the opening five minutes of the second half, which has proven to be an even contest so far. 

Quarter 2

GWS: 6.5.41
Hawthorn: 11.3.69

The Hawks have remained the better side, with the Giants sporadically drawing goals back but struggling to gain momentum. Three goals each to Connor MacDonald and Jack Gunston lead the way for all goalkickers. 

3:16 - Gunston's stellar 2025 campaign has continued into September, with the Hawks forward collecting his third goal of the first half with another set shot. 

SUB MADE - GWS have confirmed Darcy Jones has been subbed out with a knee injury, with Josh Kelly coming into the game in his place. 

INJURY CONCERN - Fears surrounding a knee injury to Darcy Jones, who awkwardly planted his leg after a tackle attempt. 

8:18 - A strong contested mark from Jack Gunston sets up his second goal of the game, with the veteran sharpshooter converting from 45 metres out.

11:02 - The Giants wrestle another back through Darcy Jones, who kicks a difficult goal from outside 50 near the boundary line. Hawthorn's lead now sits at 17 points once more. 

12:01 - A chaotic ball deep inside Hawthorn's attack is eventually controlled by the Hawks, with Connor MacDonald getting on the end of another to boot his third in the opening half. 

14:26 - A quick reply from the Hawks via Jack Ginnivan, who has popped up after a quiet start to his day. The Hawks small forward found some space in the front half thanks to a clever handball from Connor MacDonald and kicked truly. 

14:52 - Jesse Hogan gets another chance and makes no mistake this time, converting from 50 metres out via set shot. Giants reduce the lead to two goals. 

17:38 - The Giants get the first of the second term as big man Kieren Briggs gets some luck after throwing his boot at the ball from a ruck contest, with the Sherrin finding a gap to go over the goal line. 

Quarter 1

GWS: 3.2.20
Hawthorn: 7.2.44

A powerful half from the Hawks, who overran the Giants after a slow start to the contest and were up against the territory battle. GWS had just five scores from their 20 entries inside 50, with the Hawks going at nine from 13. 

0:25 - The Giants get a much-needed goal before the first break, with Toby Bedford crumbing a loose ball, breaking past a defender and slotting his side's third. 

2:26 - Another for the Hawks, another for Connor MacDonald, who received the handball 30 metres out and snaps it through to perfection. Hawks by 29. 

2:52 - The Hawks have numbers forward, allowing Jai Newcombe to lower his eyes inside 50 and find an unmanned Jack Gunston. The All-Australian kicks his side's sixth goal. 

4:14 - GWS get their second from the centre clearance, with a quick kick forward is marked by Jake Riccardi, who converts from 40 metres out on a 45-degree angle. Hawks' lead reduced to 17 points. 

5:04 - The Hawks get an instant response, with Calsher Dear splitting the middle from a set shot 45 metres from goal after winning a free kick from a marking contest. 

6:32 - The Giants are on the board through Finn Callaghan, who slots one truly on the run from 50 metres after a bizarre turnover from Dylan Moore in the middle of the ground. 

9:24 - It goes from bad to worse for the Giants as Karl Amon converts his set shot after being advanced to 30 metres out following an off-ball 50-metre penalty. Callum Brown floored James Worpel with a hit to the torso, and it allowed Amon a comfortable shot on goal. 

10:18 - A third quick goal for the Hawks after Nick Watson was awarded a free kick for holding the man on the boundary line 25 metres from goal. 'The Wizard' made it look easy as he converted a snap through the big sticks. 

11:07 - TWO IN A MINUTE FOR THE HAWKS! Connor MacDonald's kick inside 50 gets over the top of his targets and it trickles through for a major. Hawks by 10. 

11:35 - BANG! The Hawks get one against the grain and it's a coach killer for the Giants, who conceded a 50-metre penalty at half-back and allowed Jai Newcombe to stroll to inside 50 uncontested and convert on the run. Hawks take the lead!

14:00 - The Hawks have struggled to get the ball near their forward 50 by the five-minute mark, with the Giants having the past eight inside 50s after Hawthorn had the first. 

17:23 (remaining) - GWS spearhead Jesse Hogan gets the first score of the day, but it's a behind after he fails to convert a set shot from 35 metres out on a 45-degree angle. 

We're underay at ENGIE Stadium!

Pre-Game

The Giants enter the game as slight favourites, with Hawthorn required to overcome an eight-game losing streak at ENGIE Stadium to advance to the semi-finals.

The last time these sides met, Hawthorn edged out the win in a 12-point thriller amid crazy conditions at UTAS Stadium, with significant wind resulting in a back-and-forth affair.

There are a number of major inclusions for both sides ahead of the blockbuster clash.

GWS is welcoming back a trio of stars; Jesse Hogan, Jake Stringer and Josh Kelly, who all look to shape the outcome of this contest dramatically. They've replaced Jacob Wehr, Harry Rowston and Max Gruzewski, who have all been omitted.

The Hawks, meanwhile, have brought back speedster Josh Weddle and forward Sam Butler for his fourth game of the year, his comeback from a brutal broken leg one of the inspirational stories of 2025.

The Hawks have dropped veteran Luke Breust and key forward Mitch Lewis for the match, opting to utilise three tall forwards instead of the four they've worked with since Round 21.

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