When: Friday, 7.40pm AEST

Where: MCG

The form

Western Bulldogs (home-and-away season: sixth, 14 wins, 9 losses): Won eight of their last 10 matches, with their only defeats in that time coming at the Adelaide Oval against the two South Australian clubs.

Hawthorn (home-and-away season: seventh, 14 wins, 9 losses): Started the season 0-5, but won 11 of their last 13 matches to make finals for the first time since 2018.

Head-to-head

Overall: Played: 169. Bulldogs 81 wins, 86 losses, 2 draws

In finals: Played: 5. Bulldogs 1 win 4 losses

Last time: Round 9, 2024: Bulldogs 14.7 (91) lost to Hawthorn 14.14 (98) at Marvel Stadium

Last final: Semi-final, 2016: Bulldogs 16.11 (107) bt Hawthorn 12.12 (84) at MCG

Key players

Marcus Bontempelli (Dogs). The All-Australian captain is arguably the best player in the game. A fearless leader who can win the ball out of the middle, but push forward and became a threat around goals. When Bontempelli has a blinder, the Bulldogs rarely lose.

Dylan Moore (Hawks). Named in the forward pocket in the All-Australian team, Moore sums up what Hawthorn are about under Sam Mitchell. Fast, clever and dynamic around goals.

Sam Darcy (Dogs): The finals wildcard. A breakout season for the son of a gun. His only other final was his fourth AFL game back in 2022, but the towering forward has booted 37 goals this season and has the attributes to dominate this September.

James Sicily (Hawks): The captain is the most experienced Hawk, capable of holding the defence together. Sicily will need a big game to handle the Bulldogs’ stacked forward line.

The stat

The Bulldogs have participated in seven finals (two each at the Gabba and Optus Stadium, one at Engie Stadium, one in Launceston and one at the Adelaide Oval) since they last played at the MCG in their fairytale 2016 grand-final win.