'DO YOUR JOB' is tattooed on his left hand. Nick Watson did that and much more in another phenomenal finals performance. 

Somehow, it wasn't enough to lead Hawthorn to its first Grand Final since 2015.

But six goals in Saturday's preliminary final underlined how Watson has evolved into not just the most watchable player in the competition this season, but one of the best players in the game. 

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This was the year the 'Wizard' posed the question: can a 170cm small forward win the Coleman Medal? He was in the hunt in round 16 but then missed two-and-a-half games with a hamstring strain. 

Last month Watson became the first player 170cm or under to kick 50 goals since Lou Richards and Syd Dyer both did it in 1946. The 21-year-old ultimately finished sixth in the Coleman Medal on 55 goals – 14 behind Charlie Curnow – and will challenge the best key forwards in the League for the goal kicking award across the next decade. 

But at the MCG on Saturday, Watson enhanced his reputation as one of the biggest stars in the game by terrorising Brisbane from the outset, swooping on a ball in the opening minute that was at Harris Andrews' feet, but the 'Wizard' got there first and poked it through for a goal after arriving at a million miles an hour. 

You couldn't take your eyes off him.

Then, minutes later, the livewire won a free kick after being tackled without the ball by Ryan Lester. He went back and calmly converted. Two within the first six minutes. The signs were ominous early. 

Watson added a third goal just before half-time after sublimely roving off a Lloyd Meek tap in his path, then snapping at full speed with Lester breathing down his neck, putting Hawthorn 14 points up at the main break in the process. 

You could see him draw up the path in his mind before nailing the route like a wide receiver. 

After three Hawthorn behinds to start the third quarter, Watson stepped up and converted a set shot. But that was the only goal Hawthorn kicked either side of eight Brisbane goals in a game-changing third quarter blitz.

By then Chris Fagan had made a move. With Noah Answerth not getting up for the game, Darcy Wilmot was given the job after half-time and he didn't have much luck either. 

Hawthorn looked done when it was 28 points down four minutes into the final quarter. The back-to-back premiers looked bound for a fourth consecutive Grand Final and the chance to three-peat. 

But Watson wasn’t done. 

He wasted a shot on the run when he had better options but quickly atoned, kicking two in three minutes, nailing a career-high sixth to put the Hawks back in front in remarkable scenes, getting just ahead of Andrews like his first goal, just at the other end of the ground. 

One of the greatest preliminary finals ever looked like a Hawthorn win when Mitch Lewis took a huge contested mark and then converted the set shot for his fourth goal of the game from just inside the arc. 

But the Lions had another punch left. 

Now they have another game left in 2026.  

We will have to wait until March next year to see the 'Wizard' get back to work. But after kicking 63 goals this season at 2.7 per game, Watson will enter his fourth season as one of the most damaging footballers in the country.