Hawthorn have 5 wins in six matches and are inside placing distance of the highest eight after an upset 12.13 (85) to 12.7 (79) win over GWS in Launceston on Saturday afternoon.
The Giants opened up a helpful 19-point lead at halftime earlier than a six-goal third time period put the Hawks in entrance by three factors with 1 / 4 to play.
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Each groups scored 4 objectives in a tense closing time period, and Hawthorn have been lucky to get the matchwinning purpose after the sport appeared headed for one more draw at 79-all.
With a 80 seconds remaining, James Sicily marked a GWS kick-in on the sting of the centre sq..
He launched an extended sit back into Hawthorn’s ahead pocket and was pushed by GWS midfielder Tom Inexperienced simply after he kicked the ball.
Sicily’s kick landed out of bounds on the total, however the umpires awarded a downfield free kick for Inexperienced’s contact, regardless that commentators thought Sicily bought it effectively.
Hawks legend Dermott Brereton mentioned on Fox Footy: “James made it look a little bit worse than it was. James is aware of precisely what he’s doing right here. In some other day and age, that’s play on.
“Throws the palms into the air, appeals to the umpire and the umpire says sure.”
The Hawks’ Luke Breust, who has three premierships and greater than 500 objectives beneath his belt as a small ahead, simply occurred to be nearest Hawks participant to the place the ball went out of play.
Brereton quipped: “No man has kicked extra objectives out of this pocket on this floor than Luke Breust. Breust is a specialist from that place.”
He calmly slotted the tight snap and put the Hawks a purpose in entrance, they usually held on for a six-point victory.
Followers and commentators have been confused as to why the Hawks got the ball 60m from the place the free kick occurred, whereas some thought it was a tricky name on Inexperienced.
Footy journalist Rohan Connolly wrote on X: “Reckon that last-minute downfield name was a bit suss however assume Hawks might need scored a minimum of one thing to win it anyway. And possibly extra deserving winners on stability of play, too. Lot to love about them.
“Some confusion about why downfield FK to Hawks was from pocket & not the place authentic kick was taken because it had gone out on full. Should admit, I assumed when that was the case the ball went again to authentic place, and may’t discover related bit in guidelines. Anybody?”
Sport journalist Brayden Could mentioned: “Can somebody make clear the rule. When James Sicily’s gained the downfield free kick, I assumed it went again to the place it occurred if it was out of play, which I feel normally occurs if it’s a degree?”
The AFL guidelines state a free kick “paid towards a participant who makes prohibited contact to a participant who has disposed of the soccer … shall be taken by the closest participant to the situation the place the soccer touches the bottom, or crossed the boundary line.”
The foundations additionally state: “For the avoidance of doubt, free kicks awarded outdoors the enjoying floor will likely be taken on the nearest location on the boundary line or the place the soccer is on the time, whichever is the larger penalty towards the offending workforce.”
Controversy apart, Hawthorn are actually as much as twelfth on the ladder, only one sport out of eighth spot.
With their subsequent two video games towards Richmond and West Coast, the rebuilding Hawks may very well be a real finals probability within the again half of the season as groups like Collingwood and GWS stumble.
