Author: Australian Associated Press

• Hawks beat Giants 16.11 (107) to 13.10 (88) at Engie Stadium

• Hawthorn set up semi-final with Adelaide; season over for GWS

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Hawthorn sensationally prevailed in a fourth-quarter shootout to claim a 19-point elimination final win over GWS. The Giants had clawed back a game-high 42-point deficit in the third quarter to level the scores at 13.7 (85) early in the fourth at Engie Stadium on Saturday.

But after the Hawks steadied, Sam Butler kicked truly to give them a seven-point lead 17 minutes into the last term, before Mabior Chol slotted two straight goals for the cherry on top in a 16.11 (107) to 13.10 (88) win.

• Lions tamed 16.16 (112) to 11.8 (74) at Melbourne Cricket Ground

• Cats to play Crows, Giants or Hawks for place in grand final

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Perennial AFL premiership contenders Geelong have marched into a home preliminary final with a scintillating and spiteful 38-point qualifying final win over reigning premiers Brisbane.

The Cats dominated from the outset as they shrugged off the demons of last year’s preliminary final loss to the Lions, prevailing 16.16 (112) to 11.8 (74) in front of 86,364 at the MCG on Friday night.

• Adelaide star speaks publicly on return from overseas trip

• ‘I am fully committed to bettering myself,’ says Crows forward

Adelaide ace Izak Rankine says he is committed to regaining society’s trust in the wake of his AFL ban for a homophobic slur. An emotional Rankine returned to Australia on Tuesday night and fought back tears during a public apology at Adelaide airport.

“Going away has given me space to reflect and educate myself to understand the weight of my mistake,” Rankine said. “And I am fully committed to bettering myself. In the next few days I will be standing in front of my teammates and the AFLW and apologising to them personally – and they deserve this at the very least.

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Players’ Association president and Collingwood captain applauds Brown as ‘tremendously courageous’

The AFL industry needs to use Mitch Brown’s coming out as an opportunity to “shift culture” and genuinely tackle homophobia, the AFL Players’ Association president Darcy Moore says.

On Wednesday, Brown, who played 94 games for West Coast, became the first past or present men’s AFL player to come out as bisexual.

• Rankine makes 44-player list as he serves ban for homophobic slur

• Final team to be announced at Thursday’s awards function

Izak Rankine will be a hot topic of discussion at the AFL awards, even though he is on the other side of the world. The star onballer is among five Adelaide players named in the 44-player squad, with the final team to be unveiled at Thursday night’s awards function in Melbourne.

A homophobic slur cost him a four-week ban last week and he is now holidaying and training in Europe, his season potentially over.

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