Brisbane is into its fourth straight Grand Final after an absolute classic of a preliminary final, defeating Hawthorn by nine points in a match that will go straight into the history books.

Co-captain Hugh McCluggage kicked truly after Jarman Impey was pinged – perhaps harshly – for holding the ball in front of goal with just 36 seconds left, and Brisbane hit the lead.

Kai Lohmann's fifth goal, coming after the siren, sewed up the 20.11 (131) to 19.8 (122) triumph, which saw 12 majors kicked in the final term between the two sides.

It was a true heavyweight bout, dominated by the small forwards, with Nick Watson doing all in his power to drag Hawthorn over the line.

Brisbane had led by as much as 28 points in the fourth term, but Hawthorn had absolutely nothing to lose, and weren't going to die wondering.

They say the preliminary finals are often louder than the Grand Finals, and it was certainly the case as 97,835 people at the MCG completely and utterly lost their minds, with the most human and primal wall of noise that greeted Hawthorn's comeback. 

Mabior Chol and Jack Gunston dragged the margin back to an eminently gettable 16 points, Impey brought down Charlie Cameron with every inch of desperation he could muster, and the Wizard, the Wizard, the Wizard … Watson, the shortest man on the field, took the Hawks on his back and booted two goals – his fifth and sixth – to snatch back the lead.

McCluggage, who has battled plenty of set shot demons over the years, took the lead back with four-and-a-half minutes on the clock with the steadiest of conversions.

Then it was Mitch Lewis' turn with a pack-crashing mark that blew the non-existent roof off the MCG all the way down the Monash Freeway to Dingley, and the Hawks had the lead.

Three minutes left.

Tom Barrass took the gutsiest of intercept marks, man in front, with four bearing down behind him.

Two minutes left.

Hawthorn skipper James Sicily stood tall with an intercept mark after another deep Brisbane entry.

Ninety seconds left.

A deliberate out of bounds was paid against Lewis, which gave the ball back to the Lions.

60 seconds left.

Then that fateful free kick for no genuine attempt was paid against Impey, McCluggage converted, and Brisbane has a chance to win its third consecutive flag.

Both sides threw punches throughout that would have knocked out lesser sides, but given both the stakes and the talent on show, everyone kept coming back for more.

Ryan Lester was initially charged with the toughest role in football – trying to keep a tight rein on Watson – but the Wizard set the tone from the first minute, powering to the front of the pack and soccering truly, before taking advantage of a free for holding.

Each Watson major was quickly met by a Brisbane goal, and there was no chance the Lions were going to be caught napping like Fremantle was against the Hawks a few weeks ago.

The goalkicking in the first term from both teams was immaculate, with Lewis, Will Ashcroft, Eric Hipwood and Conor McKenna all pulling out absolute pearlers, whether it was a set shot, on the run, around the body or the most precise of soccer strikes, fans were treated to an absolute exhibition.

But the issue with a team pulling goals out of its proverbial is that it's very hard to keep up over four quarters, and without a steady, consistent supply to attack, the Lions' scoring began to dry up.

Hawthorn's tall defenders – and floating ruck Lloyd Meek – stood up well under the high ball, which Brisbane bafflingly continued to send in their direction throughout most of the second term.

At the same time, the Hawks' ground brigade was using the ball smartly, whether it was by conventional disposal or taps, bumps, flicks or spoils, managing to match the Lions' much-vaunted and deep midfield.

Mistakes appeared to be compounding for Brisbane. Darcy Fort had a bizarre brain-fade and attempted to drag Josh Weddle out of a ruck contest, and the Hawks were up by 22.

But they're back-to-back premiers for a reason. Kai Lohmann – barely sighted to that point – was the beneficiary of a generous free kick and capitalised, before Cameron's third (another addition to the highlight reel) and the Lions were back in action.

Hawthorn's charmed run in front of goal stuttered to a halt at the start of the second half, with three consecutive behinds, and Brisbane began to control the flow of footy through the middle of the ground, dominating the centre clearances.

The champions began to flex their muscles.

Harris Andrews patrolled the backline with authority. Charlie Cameron twisted and turned and won crucial contests. The much-maligned Eric Hipwood clunked everything that came his way. Josh Dunkley doesn't appear to bash and crash, but he certainly won more than his fair share of centre clearances.

And Lohmann – the Lions' own antagonist – found acres of space, time and time again, and kicked three goals in the third term as the Lions booted seven goals to one in the quarter.

Cobra Kai and the Wizard
If the first half was all about Nick Watson, then the second was the time for Brisbane's livewire forward to shine, the equally "love him if he was on your team" Kai Lohmann. He moved with authority through the forward line, commanding space, demanding the ball, and kicking truly to turn the game on its head in the third term with three of his own. Watson appeared to have won the game for the Hawks in the final quarter, but it was Lohmann who had the last laugh.

Neale's head knock and Newcombe's MRO watch
The opening seconds were as dramatic as you can get, with dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale cannoning straight into the shoulder of Jai Newcombe. Brisbane's choice to leave Neale on the ground despite the big knock appeared surprising, but coach Chris Fagan later said it was a hit to the chest that winded his midfield gun. The body bump will also alleviate any MRO concerns for Newcombe ahead of next season.

HAWTHORN    5.1   11.1   12.5   19.8 (122)
BRISBANE    5.2   8.5   15.7   20.11 (131)

GOALS
Hawthorn: Watson 6, Gunston 5, Lewis 4, Sicily, Weddle, Moore, Chol
Brisbane: Lohmann 5, Cameron 3, Hipwood 3, McCluggage 3, Morris 2, L.Ashcroft, W.Ashcroft, McKenna, Berry

BEST
Hawthorn: Watson, Ward, D'Ambrosio, Gunston, Sicily, Barrass
Brisbane: W.Ashcroft, Lohmann, Neale, Dunkley, Andrews, McCluggage

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
Brisbane: Nil

Crowd: 97,835 at the MCG