Fans at the MCG were denied a Western Bulldogs contested-like game after a "slick" Hawthorn outfit put them to the sword in a do-or-die final.
From start to finish, the Bulldogs looked a step behind the Hawks, suffering their fifth elimination loss in the past decade.
Coach Luke Beveridge attributed the lopsided affair to "most thing", suggesting that their youthful opponents took away their game.
"We've been a pretty good contested side most of the year, at the coalface and at the stoppage and away, and the Hawks were just too good in that area tonight," Beveridge said.
"You ask yourself the question 'How much of it is Hawthorn and how much is it us', and I'd say probably a bit of both."
Statistically, it was a domination, with the Hawks recording 84 more disposals (410-326), 20 inside 50s (59-39), 25 contested possessions (150-125) and 18 fewer turnovers (59-77).
The scoreline flattered the Bulldogs, with expected totals (based on shot prediction by Wheelo Ratings) to be 47 points different.
"Probably the main thing at half-time, the discussion point was around their intercept game and how many marks and the width we were giving them, their transition and movement up the ground. We had to make an adjustment ourselves, we had to take a number away from the stoppage.
"We didn't have any great influence through there, unfortunately. From the rucks through that brigade, it didn't happen for us. We just couldn't get any consistent territory.
"Our opportunities inside 50, which were few and far between, we couldn't keep it there with front-end stoppages and couldn't get any forward-half turnover. Everything that we'd been pretty good at, and you look at the KPIs throughout the year, we went away from it."
The Bulldogs were well below their average efficiency inside 50 (43.6 per cent), while their ball use was down (3.8 per cent) from the home and away season.
A key reason for that was captain Marcus Bontempelli's performance, who was limited to 18 possessions and a goal, well below his usual output.
Bontempelli spent 81 per cent of the game on the ground, but fans would've noticed a lot was spent up forward to help negate Hawthorn's intercepting prowess, not injury, according to Beveridge.
"I don't think he did [spend any longer off the field]. To my mind, he might have got stuck on [the bench] a minute or two longer, but he was okay. He tried to lift us in the last quarter, he kicked a goal, he tried to kick a second," Beveridge said.
