Darcy Vescio kicked the winner in game 100, and Hawthorn’s season ended with a miss from the goal square

Carlton are one win from an AFLW grand final after their most important player of the past decade finished the job in a 100th game.

The Blues beat Hawthorn by five points in front of 4,701 people at Ikon Park on Saturday night, reaching a second straight preliminary final. Darcy Vescio kicked two goals, both decisive: the third-quarter goal that put Carlton in front for the first time, and the last goal of the night after a strong contested mark.

Vescio said the winning kick brought “some flashbacks to my junior footy”. Carlton coach Mathew Buck called the moment “poetry”.

How did Hawthorn lose from 19 points up?

For a quarter the Hawks looked unstoppable. They kicked the first three goals, led 3.1 (19) to 1.2 (8) at the first change and won almost every first-quarter clearance. Jac Dupuy added a goal from beyond 40 metres in the second term.

Carlton clawed back before the break. A banana kick from Keck and a Goss goal after a 50-metre penalty cut the margin to four at half-time. Then Hawthorn’s scoring stopped: one behind in the whole third quarter, while Vescio’s goal put Carlton ahead.

Mackenzie Eardley kicked two set shots in the last quarter and twice gave Hawthorn the lead back. The Blues answered both times, and Vescio’s second goal, from a kick by Dayna Finn, was the last of the night.

What happened with McDonagh’s shot?

With about two minutes left and Hawthorn behind by five, McDonagh, one of the competition’s most dangerous forwards, had a shot from close range that would have levelled or won the game. It missed everything.

Hawthorn coach Daniel Webster stood by her afterwards, calling her work rate and will to win “unparalleled” and saying the team would support her.

It ends a season that promised more. Hawthorn have now lost in a semi-final three years running, and have never won at Ikon Park in seven attempts since joining the competition in 2022.

Who is hurt?

Hawthorn’s West left the ground in the final term with a left knee injury and will have scans, Webster said. Williamson also hurt an ankle. For Carlton, Amelia Velardo played on with an ankle injury and went to her knees at the final siren, and defender Ciara Fitzgerald withdrew late with a shin problem. Buck said he hoped both would be fit for the preliminary final.

Can Carlton beat Melbourne?

History says it will be hard. Melbourne beat the Blues by 34 points when they met in round 6. Carlton’s best on Saturday included Cordner, A. McKay, Vescio, Hill and Fitzpatrick, and their pressure after quarter-time was what turned the game.

The other preliminary final pits Sydney, who beat Geelong by three points earlier on Saturday to reach their first preliminary final, against North Melbourne, the top-ranked side left in the competition.