<p>Welcome to The Huddle’s AFL Finals previews!</p> <p>After a long season and one of the tightest races ever to secure a place in the September action, we are down to the final eight teams that will battle it out for this year's AFL Premiership.</p> <p>As we gear up for all the September action, it’s time to look at and preview all the teams that have qualified for the AFL Finals in 2025.</p> <p>They were the darlings that rode the wave back into September last year, but this year, Hawthorn is looking to go steps further.</p> <p>They will need to go the long way round, but can they continue their club's extraordinary record of winning at least one flag each decade since the 1960s?</p> <p>For the latest news, analysis, picks, and betting tips, read our Hawthorn Hawks finals preview below!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Hawthorn Hawks Road to the AFL Finals</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>After last season's heroics, the Hawks were promoted into primetime for the competition in 2025, and it didn’t take long for the Hollywood Hawks to show off why.&nbsp;</p> <p>Two shiny new key defender recruits to stiffen up the backline, trick plays, walking out to FIEN by Travis Scott at their home games, and four consecutive wins to start the season, HokBall was running wild.</p> <p>Everything looked like it was going to plan for the Hawks until they went to Adelaide for Gather Round for a meeting with the Power.&nbsp;</p> <p>After all the pantomime of last year's Final, the Hawks got punched in the face by Kenny’s mob, who were up for the occasion, consigning the Hawks to their first loss of the season.&nbsp;</p> <p>They lost the following week, too, against the Cats in an Easter Monday epic, but their game continued to look strong.</p> <p>The big concern for the Hawks, however, at this point would be learning that they would be playing much of the rest of the season without midfield ace Will Day, who suffered a foot stress-related injury and would be sidelined until the final weeks of the season.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Hawks kept on winning through. Three of their next four wins, including a big one over Richmond, as they celebrated 100 years of Hawthorn at the MCG.&nbsp;</p> <p>The loss to the Suns up in Darwin wasn’t a cause for concern, yet, but the loss to the Lions was, as their midfield deficiencies started to get exposed.</p> <p>Collingwood smashed them the following Friday night, and the brakes were pumped on how high the Hawks could climb.</p> <p>They responded with a pair of crucial wins against the Dogs and the Crows before the bye that helped restore big parts of their game.&nbsp;</p> <p>Comfortable wins over the Roos and the Saints helped settle nerves, before they dropped a game in the west to Fremantle, which placed the Hawks at risk of potentially losing their place on the grid as the jostle for positions got tighter.</p> <p>Another pair of comfortable wins against Port Adelaide and Carlton again calmed the nerves of the faithful, although their game was still looking clunky.</p> <p>Will Day returned briefly, only to suffer a heartbreaking recurrence of the same foot injury. He was ruled out for the rest of the season—a brutal blow. To make matters worse, emerging star Josh Weddle was sidelined with a back stress fracture, putting his finals hopes in serious doubt.</p> <p>They lost the return game against the Crows at Adelaide Oval. In that match, Sam Mitchell rolled the dice with a bold “four tall forwards” approach—selecting Mabior Chol, a returning Mitch Lewis, rising talent Calsher Dear, and the evergreen Jack Gunston. Remarkably, at 33 years old, Gunston produced what many called his best season ever—booting over 60 goals and winding back the clock in style.</p> <p>They bounced back from the loss to the Crows emphatically, winning a big game against Collingwood convincingly and securing a finals spot. They needed to beat Brisbane to make the top four, but didn't.&nbsp;</p> <p>They finished eighth, which probably isn't a true reflection of how good they were this season, but such is the season we had with the two-speed economy; the Hawks will start the finals from eighth and will need to win four finals if they want to win the Premiership.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Hawthorn Hawks Players to Watch</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Jai Newcombe</h3> <p>He’ll have a big, big load to carry in the Hawks' midfield over this finals series.&nbsp;</p> <p>He’ll be the number one target for opposition mids to quell, and is the Hawks' stoppage beast.</p> <p>After he was subbed out against the Blues in Round 20 after a lowly eight-disposal game, he’s slowly started building his form back up with some impressive ball-winning displays and lifting his tackle count too.&nbsp;</p> <p>He’s so important for the Hawks.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Tom Barrass</h3> <p>Defence wins premierships. Tom Barrass has done that before, and he’s back in the finals for just the second time since he lifted the cup at the Eagles.&nbsp;</p> <p>While his defensive partner, Josh Battle, was recognized for his excellent season in the All-Australian squad, Barrass has been building over the second half of the season and has been at his intercepting best.</p> <p>He’ll have a big job on Jesse Hogan first up, but will be the man to patrol the entries coming into the Hawks' defence.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Josh Weddle</h3> <p>If he can get back and make himself a part of it, Weddle can be a difference maker in this Hawthorn side.</p> <p>In his absence, his dash and distribution off halfback have been lacking for the Hawks, so they’ve needed to move their wingers Amon and D’Ambrosio back there to get some drive and run out of D50.&nbsp;</p> <p>He’s a key piece that can give the Hawks a big boost in a finals campaign</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Why can Hawthorn win the AFL Premiership?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Their transition game is what sets them apart from every other team in it.&nbsp;</p> <p>If they can move the ball cleanly from one end of the ground to the other unimpeded, then they will be hard to stop and contain.</p> <p>A strong base behind the ball and two wingers who can move and carry the ball well, plus the deployment of Jarman Impey up the ground, has given the Hawks another attacking option forward of centre.&nbsp;</p> <p>Add in the exceptional form of Gunston and the Hawks medium and small forward brigade who give opposition fans some shivers, they have enough firepower and flare to make a deep run.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>What will hold Hawthorn back from the 2025 AFL Premiership?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Is it as simple as saying that without Will Day, they can’t do anything major?</p> <p>The Hawks have looked like they are playing short of a gun midfielder all season, and the absence of Day has only exacerbated the need to address the deficiency in the exchange period post-season.&nbsp;</p> <p>Also, we love Sam Mitchell, and all think he’s a “Genius”, but has he outsmarted himself with this four-tall-forward strategy? In all the games the four have played, one of them has been subbed out either at or just after halftime. Will he drop one for better balance?</p> <p><strong>Prediction:</strong> Semi-Final&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>How many AFL Premierships does Hawthorn have?</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>13</p> <p>The Hawks are one of the most successful clubs in modern VFL/AFL history, <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/afl/news/most-afl-premierships">winning 13 premierships</a> since entering the league.&nbsp;</p> <p>Since they arrived in the VFL/AFL and won their first premiership in 1961, the Hawks have won at least one premiership in every decade.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Hawthorn Hawks Premiership Odds:</h2>