Where to now for Hawthorn?

Hawthorn’s bid for a fourth consecutive premiership was wiped away in the semi-final, where the Western Bulldogs mauled the Hawks to eliminate them from the 2016 finals series in straight sets.

It was the first time since 1977 the Hawks have been cut from the finals without registering a win.

Football is definitely a funny game, and it’s intriguing to think that if Isaac Smith had nailed his set shot after the siren against the Cats in week one of the finals, Hawthorn would have had the week off and would be cemented in the preliminary final. But that is not to be.

The 23-point triumph sent the energetic Dogs to the preliminary final, where they met an in-form GWS group very capable of going the whole way – only to have their dream cut short by a six-point Bulldog defeat.

But for the reigning premier of the past three seasons, their 2017 campaign begins in trade week.

The Hawthorn era may well and truly be seen as over, but the current list of players still have enough talent to knock off the big teams in the competition.

With Jarryd Roughead, Ben Stratton and Jonathon Ceglar all missing from the semi-final squad, there’s three inclusions which would without a doubt benefit the team.

But look one year on, the likes of Lewis, Mitchell, Hodge, Burgoyne and Gibson all get one year older, and with the fast changing evolution of the AFL, changes will need to be made if the Hawks are to be a threat in 2017 and beyond.

Could the Isaac Smith set shot be the reason the Hawks don’t win the flag?

Is this officially the end of an era that was?

Are Hawthorn really capable of bouncing back?

These are harsh questions, but they are true and it is the reality of where the Hawks sit right now.

The era should have been seen as over at the beginning of the season. They won six games by less than seven points during the home-and-away season and finished with a percentage of 118.56, which was only the sixth best in the top eight. You don’t win a flag like that.

Bottom line is the Hawks weren’t convincing in many of their wins, they were able to just get the job done due to experience, but they were shown up in the finals.

The Western Bulldogs finished the season as the fourth best contested possession side in the AFL, with an average of 149.3 per game. The Hawks, on the other hand, finished with an average of 130.5 contested possessions per game, which is the lowest in the competition.

In the semi-final loss to the Bulldogs, the Hawks had a huge 50 fewer contested possessions than the Dogs (111–161). That is where the game was lost, and that is how you get a difference between a good side and an uncompetitive side.

The other four teams which round out the top five in the contested possession stats are Sydney, Adelaide, GWS and Geelong – all of which were dominant sides this season and featured in the finals.

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson touched on the significance of performing well during the finals series, which is something the Hawks – who have been masters of this for years – could not showcase in 2016.

“It’s a good habit to have, winning in September. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do that tonight. The Bulldogs were terrific,” Clarkson said in a post-match press conference.

“You need to play your best footy in September. We didn’t do that this year and we need to work out how to do that in 2017.

“We’re so proud of this group. They’ve delivered so much for this club and they deserve a break.

“We were brave but just not good enough against a good side tonight. I hope the Dogs can serve it up to GWS.”

The answer to the equation is simple, recruit players who could potentially be the next premiership stars for the Hawthorn Football Club, which is another point Clarkson alluded to in the press conference.

“We’ll do whatever we can to improve our squad,” Clarkson said.

“The draft and trade period will be looked at.”

The Hawks have had the ability to attract players from around the competition in recent times, with Ben McEvoy, Shaun Burgoyne, James Frawley and Josh Gibson all among some current premiership players on their list who were previously at a different club. Brian Lake is another one, who retired at the end of last year.

Hawthorn has so far been linked to midfielders Tom Mitchell (Sydney) and Jaeger O’Meara (Gold Coast), who are both looking for opportunity in Melbourne.

Both of these players are ready-made and have proven themselves at the top level, despite O’Meara not playing a single AFL game since the 2014 season due to a knee injury.

O’Meara would be a massive landing for Hawthorn and a major inclusion for the team. The 22-year-old indicated that the Hawks are his preferred destination, with their ability to revitalise a players career a looming factor in his decision.

“Jaeger has indicated he wants to be at Hawthorn in 2017 and we are keen to make this happen,” Hawthorn list manager Graham Wright said on the club’s website.

“We fully respect that Jaeger is a Gold Coast player and we will work closely with the Suns in the lead up to the trade period to ensure we can get an appropriate deal done.”

O’Meara had been linked to a host of Victorian clubs before announcing that Hawthorn are his club of choice.

Tom Mitchell and Ty Vickery are also likely to be in brown and gold colours in 2017, so it may not be doom and gloom after all for the reigning premier.

One issue which may arise with the inclusion of ready-made players is the potential lack of depth that Hawthorn may be facing next season. The Hawks played seven debutants this year which is great for exposure, but they are going to be suddenly pushed away once new players arrive at the club.

This could mean mature-age players come in, while young guns want out. Any club knows that is not ideal, and with the Hawks seemingly looking at building for another mini dynasty surge as opposed to building for the long term, drafting these players could mean an end of an era, officially.

There should be no doubts in anyone’s mind that if Hawthorn land a big fish or two (or three), then 2017 could see another Hawthorn-dominated season (just with a little less dominance).

But with more teams currently on the rise looking for a finals berth in 2017, finals for the Hawks is truly not a certainty.