Lance Franklin was reported in the Hawks' win over the Swans. Source: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images
IT WAS another imperious late show, but it was a late hit that defined Hawthorn's fighting win over Sydney.
The most resilient of victories for the minor premier was soured by what could be the season-defining report of Lance Franklin.
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Franklin is in real danger of missing the Hawks' first final - and possibly its second - after he was reported for rough conduct for a late and high bump on Nick Malceski 60 seconds into the second term at ANZ Stadium.
Franklin's shoulder made contact to Malceski's head after the defender had kicked the ball down the wing.
Malceski played on after a quick medical inspection, which will work in Franklin's favour with the match review panel.
But Hawthorn's match-winner had a choice and chose to bump.
It will overshadow the latest in a string of battle-hardened late-season wins that has the minor premier perfectly placed to make amends for last year.
Hawthorn twice trailed by 24 points and by 22 in the third quarter before surging to kick six goals to three in the last 30 minutes to salute 17.10 (112) to 16.4 (100).
The Hawks and Swans will meat again in a qualifying final next week and you wouldn't blame John Longmire for wondering how he can possibly engineer a win against the mob he dismantled 12 months earlier.
Consider the body blows.
Sydney had six more inside 50s, laid 13 more tackles, dominated the hit-outs and centre clearances and yet the Hawks still found a way as they have done so many times this year.
But a Swans side missing 10 premiership players was able to open enough cracks in this brown and gold outfit to raise the eyebrows of rival coaches.
Sydney's manic tackling and forward pressure dragged the Hawks' famed kicking efficiency from defence to the floor.
In scenes reminiscent of last year's Grand Final last quarter, Hawthorn's possession kicking game melted under the heat, but the Swans couldn't quite maintain the rage.
Brian Lake and Josh Gibson were made to defend, with the big bodies of Jesse White, Myke Pyke and Shane Mumford all wreaking havoc inside 50m. Mumford and Pyke weren't rested on the bench, they were sent forward and for large periods exposed Hawthorn's defensive lack of size.
Mumford was sensational.
Sam Mitchell was targetted by Ryan O'Keefe had despite finishing with 26 possessions, he had eight at half-time and little influence on the contest.
Isaac Smith's game-breaking run was cut out by Ben McGlynn and Brad Hill wasn't able to use his talents.
There's questions, but Hawthorn keep answering them. Franklin, booed all night, was quiet. No matter; Jarryd Roughead kicked 4.3 and will almost certainly claim the Coleman Medal.
But Sydney took it up to them withouth a chunk of stars and also lost leading goalkicker Kurt Tippett to hamstring soreness an hour before the first bounce.
Debutant Shane Biggs' was the sixth debutant and fourth rookie elevation in a Swans squad riddled with injury.
If you can't win the premiership in Round 23, you can almost certainly lose it. Sydney, who has faultered in late-season losses to Collingwood, Geelong and now the Hawks, have also lost the core of its flag-winning personnel in what has been a luckless campaign.
You would never put a line through them, of course, but the pen is poised.
The game started it cagey fashion, with both teams flooding back to create a grinding contest that saw only one goal kicked in the first 12 minutes.
But just when it looked like both sides would stick to shadow boxing with their top-four positions assured, the contest exploded to life.
The Swans, under fire for a chronic lack of tackling that saw them ranked 16th in the league over the past month, brought the sort of heat that has become their trademark.
Retiring warrior Jude Bolton, Gary Rohan and Brandon Jack were stationed inside Sydney's forward line and the trio chased and harrassed in a constant frenzy.
The result was a tackle count that read 18-4 in Sydney's favour after half a quarter.
Hawthorn, famed for its incision-like disposal coming out of defence this year, were reduced to a raggad mess for the majority of the first half.
Sydney's first five goals came as a direct result of Hawthorn turnovers.
When Rohan wasn't chasing anything in brown and gold he was delivering offensively.
The kid from Cobden kicked two goals in two minutes half way through the second term, one on the run and one from a set-shot that opened up a 17-point lead for the Swans.
There was nothing flashy about the Hawks. Just a dilligent, disciplined effort that will make them so very hard to beat next month.
