Hawthorn Hawks v Brisbane Lions: AFL preliminary final – live

Updates as the Hawks host the reigning premiers at the MCG Start time in Melbourne is 5.15pm AEST Send an email Hello and welcome to live coverage of the AFL preliminary final between Hawthorn and Brisbane at the MCG. The winner of this game will face Fremantle in the AFL grand final at the MCG next Saturday. Hawthorn have been able to sit back and watch as all but two other teams have dropped out of contention since their rollicking qualifying final victory against the Dockers.

As the final siren sealed that rousing triumph on the road, the widely held view was that Sam Mitchell’s side would avoid meeting Brisbane until a possible grand final matchup. But a finals series very rarely, if ever, follows the script – and here we are, a week earlier than forecast, with the Hawks instead crossing paths with the two-time reigning premiers for a spot in the decider.

Read the original report at The Guardian.