THE AFL Premiership Cup will sit proudly at Waverley Park after Hawthorn's stirring defeat of Geelong in the grand final.
The Hawks lit the flame of passion in Monash and the south-east during a frenetic grand final week that ended with the triumph on Saturday.
Waverley became the Hawks' heartland on Thursday as 10,000 fans packed the ground to see their heroes go through their paces.
The fans made themselves home at the Hawks' nest, swamping a stern, larger-than-life statue of coaching legend and favourite son John Kennedy.
Perhaps the statue's uncompromising gesture spoke for many of the hopeful, premiership-starved spectators - echoing those famous words from Kennedy, "Don't Think. Do!''.
The stunning turnout sealed the Hawks' move from Glenferrie Oval to the state-of-the-art training headquarters at Waverley. This year, the Hawks announced themselves as a new powerhouse on and off the field with 41,000 members and a $4million profit.
Pictures: John Donegan/The Age, Wayne Hawkins
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