There have been a combined total of 3 previous Finals meetings between this weekend’s Semi Final matchups of Port Adelaide and Hawthorn (2001 & 2014) and GWS and the Brisbane Lions (2019).

On all 3 occasions, the final margin was 3 points.

2001 Semi Final: Hawthorn (10.12-72) defeated Port Adelaide (10.9-69) by 3 points

Only a few days after 9/11, and the day after Ansett collapsed, Port Adelaide led by 17 points at 3/4 time at AAMI Stadium, but the Hawks would stage an epic comeback on the road, kicking 5 goals to 2 in the last quarter, the telling goals being the 2 drop punts to John Barker (Who recovered from a mid-game migraine) from deep in the fabled dead forward pockets of Football Park, the second coming with 2:30 to go put the Hawks up for good, the 3-point win sending them to their first Preliminary Final since 1987, which they lost to Essendon by 9 points in a game featuring some questionable umpiring.

I say 1987, because despite winning Premierships in 1988-89 and 1991, the Hawks won the Semi Final to qualify for the Grand Final in all of those years.

Some other random facts about this game:

Because of the collapse of Ansett Airlines, who were a major sponsor of the AFL, the Hawks had to travel to Adelaide in an Australia Post cargo plane from Essendon airport late on a Friday evening – As a consequence, this was the last game to feature Ansett signage at an AFL ground.

It was only the second time in history that a Victorian team had won an interstate final, the first was Hawthorn defeating West Coast at Subiaco in 1991.

More historically, it was also the first time a Top 4 team had gone out in straight sets under the current Finals system… both the Power and Hawks have achieved the feat twice.

2014 Preliminary Final: Hawthorn (15.7-97) defeated Port Adelaide (13.16-94) by 3 points

Coming into the game full of confidence after straight setting Fremantle at Subiaco the week before, a young Port Adelaide team ran all over the Hawks in the 1st Quarter (17-7 Inside 50s), but kicked a wayward 3.9 and were made to pay as the defending premier Hawks took their chances to lead by 29 points in the last quarter, headlined by Jarryd Roughead’s 6 goals…

But setting up an all-time finish, Port gained momentum and kicked 4 goals in 10 minutes of play to get within 4 points deep into the last quarter, Andrew Moore had a tough shot to put them ahead with a minute to go but missed across the face, and that would be as close as the Power got to winning, with Hawthorn surviving by that 3-point margin and going on to demolish Sydney in the Grand Final next week, the second of their three consecutive premierships.

It was the fourth consecutive year that the Hawks had been involved in a Preliminary Final decided by under a goal, after their 3-point defeat to Collingwood in 2011, a 5-point win against Adelaide in 2012, and a 5-point win vs Geelong in 2013.

On the other hand, this game remains the closest that Ken Hinkley’s Port Adelaide have come to reaching a Grand Final.

2019 Semi Final: GWS (12.11-83) defeated Brisbane (11.14-80) by 3 points.

In the first final between a Queensland team and a New South Wales team since the 2003 Preliminary Final, the Giants kicked the first 4 goals of the game at the Gabba, but the Lions kicked the next 5 and led at quarter time, starting an epic back and forth game that Brisbane threatened to dominate in the last quarter (The Lions were ahead 19-7 for Inside 50s), but the Giants held tough as the Lions kicked 5 consecutive behinds, a problem they still haven’t eliminated 5 years later, although a goal from a free kick to Allen Christensen put them back in front by 3 points with 5:30 to play…

However, the Giants would have the final say as small forward Brent Daniels, the shortest player on the ground, snapped the winning goal with 2:38 remaining, the 10th lead change of the game, ensuring the Giants held on by 3 points, sending them into a Preliminary Final against Collingwood, which they would win by 4 points.

It was the Giants’ first win in an interstate final, while it was crushing ending to a season that saw the Lions jump from 15th to 2nd on the ladder to make their first finals appearance since 2009, but alas, the Lions became the first team since Geelong in 1997 to finish in the Top 2 and lose both finals.

Another interesting fact – In all 3 games, the result was a reversal of their only home & away meeting.

2001: Port Adelaide won by 43 points in Round 10

2014: Port Adelaide won by 14 points in Round 10

2019: Brisbane won by 20 points in Round 16