Fremantle’s quest to win an inaugural premiership will start with a qualifying final against Hawthorn after Sam Mitchell’s men fell short of leapfrogging Brisbane in third spot on the ladder.

The Hawks beat West Coast by 62 points on a wet night at Optus Stadium which meant they finished fourth and locked in a final against the Dockers which will most likely be played on Thursday September 3.

Fremantle beat Hawthorn by 15 points at Optus Stadium in May and that game quickly became famous for Wharfie Time. The Hawks have gone as far as training for how to handle a similar situation if it occurs during the finals.

Jack Gunston gave Fremantle headaches in the first half that night before Brennan Cox took control of that match up from Luke Ryan. But Cox injured his calf against Carlton on Saturday and is unlikely to be available.

Hawthorn rested star forward Nick Watson during the final quarter against West Coast after being bumped into the fence just seconds before the three quarter time siren. Watson, kicked three goals, but had only just returned to the field after a lengthy period on the bench.

There were fears for Hawthorn co-captain Jai Newcombe after his head slammed into the ground after a sling tackle from Harley Reid. But Newcombe played out the game after being assessed by doctors.

All eyes were on the scoreboard during Hawthorn’s clash against West Coast because the race to finish third - and face an under-strength Sydney - was one of the most intriguing parts of round 24.

Brisbane’s percentage rose to 121.7 after their 63 point victory over Collingwood on Friday night. Hawthorn started the game with a percentage of 117.3

The situation was clear. Hawthorn had to win by about 15 goals but that was highly dependant on how many goals the Eagles kicked.

If the Hawks held West Coast to 40 points, they had to win by 90 points. If the Eagles managed 50 points, that margin needed to be 92 points. The more West Coast kicked, the more the Hawks needed to win by.

Hawthorn got away to the perfect start. Jack Gunston celebrated his 300th game with a goal after just one minute. Then Mitch Lewis followed up moments later and the Hawks had two goals from 13 disposals and West Coast still hadn’t touched the ball.

The Hawks kicked six goals to one in the first quarter. Gunston had three and Hawthorn were clearly ahead of what was needed.

But driving rain loomed as a problem for their ability to maintain that scoring rate.

It took eight minutes for either team to manage a goal in the second quarter and that came from the Eagles.

Then came extraordinary drama. Hawthorn had two goals overturned by the video review when replays showed West Coast defenders just got a finger to the ball. When every goal has huge ramifications, those decisions were huge.

Hawthorn still kicked four goals for the term but copped a dagger to the heart when Jake Waterman converted a set shot after the siren.

Hawthorn led by 39 points, but if both teams kicked the exact same scores in the second half, they would still finish fourth.

The problem for Hawthorn was they won the third term 21-6 and that left them needing a monstrous final term, which never looked likely to occur.