Top four on the line for Hawks, Eagles fight for pride

It means if Hawthorn beat West Coast as expected but not by a triple-figure margin, they will have to settle for fourth and a tough qualifying final assignment against premiership favourites Fremantle in Perth.

A shock loss to the Eagles would likely result in Hawthorn missing out on a top-four spot altogether, meaning they can't take their foot off the pedal against a West Coast outfit nursing a 10-match losing streak.

The Hawks will have plenty of added motivation given Sunday's clash will mark the 300-game milestone of veteran Hawks forward Jack Gunston, while Mitch Lewis and Lloyd Meek will suit up for their 100th matches.

West Coast (4-18) are guaranteed to finish 16th no matter what the result.

It marks the sixth consecutive season the Eagles have missed out on the finals.

But with the squad now bursting with bright young talent, McQualter is optimistic a bright future lays ahead.

And he wants his team to finish season 2026 with a bang, confident the momentum created from a victory will carry across into the off-season.

"This is the end of this season, but footy's a continuum," McQualter said.

"So the way we finish will have impact on the way we start next year. We want to play the game the right way, in the right spirit. 

"Hawthorn will be in good form, but we believe we've got some things we can do that can challenge them as well. 

"We'd love to finish the season on a high. But I'm really determined that no matter what, we've got to get to work. 

"We've got to train harder. We've got to get fitter, faster, stronger and continue to implement and work on our game plan."

West Coast skipper Liam Duggan was ruled out of Sunday's match with soreness and has been replaced by Bo Allan.

Hawthorn have named Jack Dalton as a replacement for Jack Ginnivan (sore back).