In the days following a narrow preliminary final loss to Brisbane, Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell emerged not to assign blame but to make sense of the kind of defeat that arrives in fragments — a free kick, a centre bounce, a moment of crowd ugliness — and lingers long after the final siren. Speaking with the measured honesty of someone still processing grief, Mitchell placed the season's progress, its controversies, and its unfinished business into a larger story about what football asks of coaches, players, and the people who watch them. The Hawks climbed from eighth to fourth, lost by the thin
Mitchell reflects on Hawks' heartbreak, vows improvement after prelim loss
Young spectators, including an eight-year-old, were targeted with objects thrown by fans during post-game misconduct.