When Hawthorn won the 2008 premiership some believed it was a flag that had come earlier than expected, but that the group who had grasped that surprise victory was capable of creating a dynasty. It took some time for that view to come true, but through the middle of the next decade Hawthorn, with many of the 2008 team providing a backbone of experience and skill and coaching expertise, became one of the League’s greatest teams. The Hawks played in four Grand Finals – from 2012 to 2015 – and became just the fourth team in League history to achieve the ‘three-peat’. The Three-peat: History of the Hawthorn Football Club 2009-2021?describes how the club was able to work through multiple challenges to triumph three times on the biggest stage of all. Along the way, many of its champions enhanced their reputations.
