THERE was not much more to ask for if you were decked in brown and gold at Punt Road on Sunday afternoon, but there was something to like for supporters of all stripes too in an enjoyable clash between two AFLW finalists at a packed house.

Speaking after a late game surge propelled Hawthorn to a 23-point win over Richmond, coach Daniel Webster was overall well pleased given both the result and where his charges sit with finals on the horizon.

“As I said last week, playing good sides going into finals is the perfect preparation,” he said.

When Emelia Yassir converted early in the final term to put the Tigers’ noses in front with their third goal after more than three terms of back and forth action, Webster turned to the skill and poise of Greta Bodey, Kaitlyn Ashmore and a tireless Eliza West to wrestle back momentum and show why the Hawks are a top two side in 2024.

“I challenged the group a bit on our contested footy,” he said. “It was good to get reward at the end as it was hard to score. [It was] a hard fought game. “I am very proud of the group to be able to persevere and get over the line.”

Earlier the Hawks and Tigers had issues with capitalising on contested ball wins, which resulted in copious ‘almost’ highlights that were let down by execution.

“Generally in finals, you need to get the contest right and there were moments today where we weren’t good enough across the board in that…realistically it’s about playing four quarters of hard football,” he said.

Bodey was a notable exception, exemplified by her mark going back with the flight as imposing Tigers forward Caitlin Greiser zeroed in on the drop, and along with Tilly Lucas-Rodd the Hawthorn half-back line did enough when the game was on the line. Tiger talisman Monique Conti was the clear standout for the defeated.

Now the season is on the line and last year’s 17th placed contender in the McClelland Trophy race has flipped the script while pocketing a cool seven figure sum. Clearly something is going right throughout all levels of the organisation for the family club.

“It’s a great vibe at the club at the moment, it’s a great place to be,” Webster said.