The coach has sent a warning to rival clubs as the Hawks continue to fly in the AFL.

Coach Sam Mitchell has sent a message to Hawthorn’s rivals having claimed the team are treating their final two games of the season as finals as they look to stay inside the top eight. Hawthorn has left AFL fans stunned in recent weeks with Mitchell leading his side into the top eight as finals footy looks like a real possibility in 2024 for the first time.

Hawthorn made a statement against Carlton on the weekend having condemned the Blues to a humiliating 74-point defeat at the MCG. The Hawks entered the top eight for the first time in 2024 on percentage having overtaken Cartlon on the ladder. This has been a remarkable turnaround considering the Hawks started 0-5 in 2024.

And Mitchell said his team have been playing every game like it could be a final and are ready to do so in order to retain their position in the top eight. “We have to win our next two games,” Mitchell said.

“When I talk to our players it’s, ‘We have to win our next one game’, because our next loss will finish our season. It’s been a long finals campaign for us already because we’ve been playing like this probably since round 15 or 16.”