Live: Sharp-shooting Hawks surging clear in outrageous MCG prelim
Hawthorn hosts dual reigning premiers Brisbane at the MCG in the preliminary final as both sides look to join Fremantle in next week's AFL grand final.
The Hawks come in off a week's break having stunned the Dockers in Perth in their qualifying final, while the Lions come in after thrashing the Crows in last weekend's home semifinal.
The conditions are absolutely perfect for football today
The MCG groundstaff are truly wizards because there is actually no way to tell that an NFL match was played here just over a week ago.
What an incredible job to get the playing surface ready for this evening's clash!
The crowd is pouring into the MCG for this one
By Chris De Silva
By Chris De Silva
They had over 100,000 here for the NFL last weekend, and my guess is that we'll go pretty close again this evening.
They're already pouring in from all corners. It must be said that Brisbane also has a very strong Victorian following thanks to their Fitzroy roots.
Welcome!
By Chris De Silva
By Chris De Silva
Good evening and welcome to ABC Sport's live coverage of the AFL finals series.
We've got another preliminary final on deck tonight as Hawthorn hosts Brisbane at the MCG as both sides look to join Fremantle in next week's grand final.
The Hawks have enjoyed a week off after their upset win over the Dockers in the qualifying final, while the Lions come into this clash on the back of a monster win against the Crows last week.
Can the Hawks make it into their first grand final since 2015 or will the Lions make it four straight trips to the big dance?
The first bounce is set for 5:15pm, so strap yourselves in as we bring you all the news from the pre-match.
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