MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Forward Jack Gunston kicked four goals as the Hawthorn Hawks held off a late comeback attempt to beat the Fremantle Dockers 11.11 (77) to 8.14 (62) on Saturday to win the Australian Football League championship for the 11th time.
Hawthorn led by 23 points after a fast-paced but low-scoring first half before Fremantle narrowed the gap to just 3 midway through the third quarter. But late goals by Luke Breust and Bradley Hill allowed the Hawks to hold on and to claim their first AFL title since 2008.
The game was played in front of more than 100,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with Hawthorn making its third appearance in the Grand Final in six years.
