It's almost as if Hawthorn's season can be split up into two parts; pre-bye, and post-bye.
Before the round 13 bye, the Hawks had a record of 4-8, and were sitting in second last on the AFL ladder.
Their season began with four straight losses, including two consecutive 86-point defeats at the hands of Gold Coast and Geelong.
They began playing some stronger football as the season wore on, but lost three of their last four before the mid-season break.
The week off certainly seemed to galvanise the Hawks, who came out after the bye and beat the Crows on their own deck in one of the results of the season.
Including that win, Hawthorn finished the season with a 6-1-3 record from their final 10 games, and were even in the finals race with just two matches to go.
Tom Mitchell starred all season long, while ruckman Ben McEvoy and veteran defender Shaun Burgoyne were also fantastic.
Best win:ย
Hawthorn entered their round 14 clash with Adelaide in second last, while the Crows occupied the top spot on the table.
Heading to Adelaide Oval became one of the most daunting trips of the 2017 season, but the Hawks were brilliant that night, and overturned an 18-point half-time deficit to run out 14-point winners.
Young gun Ryan Burton came of age with 21 disposals and two third-quarter goals, while Ricky Henderson (30 disposals, eight marks, two goals), Tom Mitchell (38 disposals) and Shaun Burgoyne (26 disposals, six tackles, two goals) also stood up tall in the massive win.
Worst loss:
After a tough opening two weeks for the Hawks, they headed up to Metricon Stadium to face a Gold Coast side already under the pump, following a 102-point loss to GWS the week prior.
Rodney Eade's future was up for debate and Gary Ablett's focus was questioned throughout the week, and the Hawks were set to add further pain to the Suns, although that was far from what happened.
Hawthorn trailed by 26 points at half-time with the game in the balance, but a 10-goal to three third quarter saw the Suns streak away, as Hawthorn fell to the bottom of the AFL and saw themselves at 0-3 for the first time since 2005.
Most improved: Ryan Burton
There was only ever going to be one winner for this award, as Ryan Burton second year at the Hawks was the definition of a 'breakout season'.
After four appearances in 2016, Burton played 20 matches this season, and grew into an integral player for Hawthorn by season's end.
He earned a Rising Star nomination in round two (his first game of the year) and was one of the favourites for the award, before eventually losing out to Essendon youngster Andrew McGrath.
The defender averaged 21.3 disposals, 5.7 marks, 3.8 rebound 50s, 2.9 tackles and 2.4 inside 50s per game in 2017, and became one of the game's most exciting young defenders in the space of just 22 weeks.
Best and fairest: Tom Mitchell
After moving from Sydney at the end of last season, Tom Mitchell grew into his own as the leader of Hawthorn's midfield in 2017.
He broke the AFL record for the most disposals in a single season with 787, and had just two games where he amassed under 30 possessions, which was also an AFL record.
The 24-year-old played every game in 2017, and finished with an average of 35.8 disposals, 5.3 marks, 6.5 tackles, 6.3 clearances and 3.5 inside 50s per game.
Hawthorn ruckman Ben McEvoy could push Mitchell at the top of the best and fairest tally, but the midfielder's season was just too strong, and he'd be a short-priced favourite to take out the award.
What the off-season could look like:
Hawthorn's off-season plans will be interesting, as the club have now secured most of their important players beyond this season.
Among their core group, only the futures of Taylor Duryea (15 games in 2017) and Billy Hartung (18 games) are in limbo at the time of writing, although neither player would be considered a massive loss if they move elsewhere.
The Hawks may be a bit tight with salary cap space, although the removal of forward Ty Vickery could clear some room, however they are struggling to find suitors for the maligned tall.
2018 crystal ball:
If Hawthorn can continue on the upward trajectory they found themselves on in the back end of the 2017 season next year, Alastair Clarkson could have executed the quickest rebuild in sporting history.
While some of their older brigade make way, the Hawks do have an interesting blend of youth, who did led them to some important victories late in the season.
Add Jaeger O'Meara into the midfield, and if he can keep himself on the park, don't discount Hawthorn from returning to September football in 2018.
