STRAIGHT sets. Again.

It was exactly what Hawthorn was hoping to avoid, but Carlton's spirited, attacking game style led by an exciting array of young talent was just too much to overcome, resulting in the Blues' 11.13 (79) to 4.9 (33) victory as the sun set over Ikon Park on Saturday evening.

HAWKS v BLUES Full match coverage and stats

The 46-point margin equals Carlton's biggest wins of this season – and makes it equal-third in the club's all-time wins.

Led by captain Abbie McKay (25 disposals, one goal) on her 25th birthday and vice-captain Mimi Hill (27 disposals, one goal), the Blues brought the energy and enthusiasm they've become known for, combined with quick ball movement and attacking spread.

The Hawks simply had no answers and it hands the club the unwanted record of back-to-back winless finals series' following top-four finishes.

It was exacerbated by a falcon suffered by vice-captain Eliza West, resulting in her being ruled out early in the second half with concussion.

Sophie McKay (seven marks, three goals), Mia Austin (nine disposals, two goals) and Poppy Scholz (16 disposals, one goal) led the forward line, enjoying the supply from teammates higher up the field.

It was fast and clean, highlighted by centre stoppage control and plenty of run from the midfield group.

Following a scoreless opening quarter, in which it conceded a club-high 31 points, Hawthorn coach Daniel Webster gave his players a stern talking to in the break before allowing them to split into their line groups.

And it worked, in a sense. The Hawks won both the inside 50 and contested possession counts by 14 in the following term.

But for all of Hawthorn's dominance in the second quarter as it fought its way back into the game, it only won the quarter by four points because of a misfiring radar in front of goal.

Carrying a knee injury from earlier in the season and a groin concern picked up last week, midfield dynamo Jasmine Fleming (10 disposals, one goal) started the game at full forward, and roamed the attacking arc for much of the game alongside another somewhat hobbled Hawk in Aine McDonagh (14 disposals, one goal).

Niggles aside, the pair offered a sense of danger once Hawthorn established some forward territory. This required patience, however, as the side failed to register an inside 50 until 12 minutes into the match – by then Carlton had already registered 11 of its own and kicked 3.5 (23).

It was simply too much reliance on too few in attack – a theme of Hawthorn's season – and unless the ball was in McDonagh or Fleming's hands, there wasn't a real sense of scoring potential.

Save for a 10-minute patch in the second term, Carlton's array of attacking options caused disorganisation among an under-strength Hawks defence.

Some sort of head knock
Early in the third term, as Hawthorn vice-captain Eliza West was putting everything on the line to try and get her team back into the game, there was some unfortunate friendly fire that – eventually – forced her from the field. In tight deep in defence, the Hawks were trying to get the ball out of a worrisome position. Tilly Lucas-Rodd slammed it on the boot and, unfortunately, hit West in the face from close range. It took a few minutes for the doctors to get West from the field to undergo a head injury assessment. She ultimately failed to return to the field.

Young Blues get dangerous
Plenty has been made of the young contingent at Carlton propelling the side back into finals form, and that was absolutely on show on Saturday evening. The first three goals of the game came from Mia Austin (21 years old), Sophie McKay (19) and Poppy Scholz (18). The trio in attack created endless headaches for Hawthorn's backline, and stood up to whatever was thrown their way to finish with a combined six goals in the win. It bodes well for the Blues' future, with budding stars of the game getting on the end of exciting ball movement.

Up next
Carlton will roll onto a preliminary final date with Brisbane at Brighton Homes Arena on Saturday night, with the hopes of progressing to a Grand Final. It is just the second time the Blues have reached a preliminary final in their 10 seasons in the AFLW, while it's unfortunately the end of the road for Hawthorn, with attention now turning to the upcoming trade period and draft.

HAWTHORN               0.0    2.4    2.6   4.9 (33)
CARLTON                     4.7    6.7    10.10   11.13 (79)

GOALS 
Hawthorn: Flockart, Fleming, McDonagh, Stone
Carlton: S.McKay 3, Austin 2, Finn 2, Scholz, Hill, A.McKay, Goss

BEST 
Hawthorn: Lucas-Rodd, Fleming, West, Elliott
Carlton: Hill, Scholz, A.McKay, Cordner, S.McKay, Goss

INJURIES 
Hawthorn: Eliza West (concussion)
Carlton: Nil

Crowd: 5,645 at Ikon Park