Wharfie time? We’ll be ready, say Hawks

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell is optimistic his team will be able to achieve what no other club has done this year: beat Fremantle in Perth.

The Hawks secured their first top-four finish since 2018 with a 16.11 (107) to 6.9 (45) smashing of West Coast in Perth on Sunday night.

A triple-figure win would have lifted Hawthorn above Brisbane into third spot, meaning they would have faced the decimated Swans in a qualifying final in Sydney.

But fourth spot means Hawthorn will now face the most daunting task in football – taking on the Dockers at Optus Stadium.

Fremantle are a perfect 12-0 at Optus Stadium this year, with their hot run of form at home helping them land the second minor premiership in the club’s history.

The Dockers have developed a knack of unleashing devastating goal blitzes late in games.

Hawthorn got a taste of that in round nine when Fremantle, aided by Wharfie Time, kicked the last five goals of the match to turn a 19-point deficit into an 11-point win.

Wharfie time is an enthralling crowd activation shown on the big screen that features a boat tackling massive waves, accompanied by the iconic gong and intro from AC/DC song “Hells Bells” and a dramatic heartbeat sound.

But Mitchell is confident Hawthorn’s best can match it with Fremantle, and having two games in Perth this year has given the Hawks vital experience heading into their qualifying final.

“Obviously, they’ve got a significant home ground advantage,” Mitchell said of Fremantle.

“They’ve been a great team for the whole season, and they deserve to have a home final, but a home final doesn’t make a win.

“Having played here twice this season, does that help us? Well, it certainly doesn’t hurt, I guess.

“It’s still their home ground, but we’ll go into the game confident that our best will get it done.”

When asked whether he would be training his team to prepare for ‘Wharfie time’, Mitchell replied: “We prepare for every environment that we play in, and we’re obviously going to be in a hostile environment filled with purple, so we’ll be ready for that.”