Watch the moment Hawks star Josh Ward breaks his nose while celebrating with teammates

Hawks star Josh Ward has suffered a broken nose in a freak accident while celebrating during Hawthorn’s 37-point win over the Western Bulldogs in the first AFL elimination final.

The Hawks travel to another state next week for a knockout semi-final against Port Adelaide after beating the Bulldogs 14.15 (99) to 9.8 (62) at the MCG on Friday night.

It was Hawthorn’s first final victory since they famously completed a hat-trick of championships in the 2015 Grand Final.

And it was the latest chapter in the stunning revival of the so-called Hollywood Hawks under Sam Mitchell, after a terrible 0-5 start to the season.

However, midfielder Josh Ward got more than he bargained for when he congratulated team-mate Jai Newcombe after his goal.

Newcombe failed to see Ward behind him and the two briefly collided heads, with Ward receiving a hard blow to the face.

“Josh Ward comes flying in and boom, he gets headbutted,” said Campbell Brown, Seven’s football commentator.

“He has a broken nose. In slow motion it didn’t look that bad, but after the game he has a big gash on his head and a badly broken nose.

‘Sometimes you can celebrate too much.’

The Hawks trailed by two goals in the first quarter, but scored nine goals to two in the second and third periods to take control of the game.

“The players handled all aspects of the game quite well,” said Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell.

‘Whatever came our way, whether it was tactical stuff or little things like score judgements and blood rules.

‘All those little details in a game that can throw you off track… I just thought we showed a certain maturity and that gives me confidence.’

Hawks star Jack Ginnivan, who was criticised for going to a Richmond pub the night before the game, got creative and celebrated kicking the sealer midway through the final period by pretending to open and drink a can of beer.

Mitchell said he was aware of Ginnivan’s plans for Thursday night and had no problem with the pub visit as the Hawks forward had to go to bed early.

The 21-year-old had 15 disposals at a 93 per cent efficiency and provided three goal assists in a convincing performance on his return in September after Collingwood lost its 2023 championship.

“Absolutely (no problem). I didn’t ask, I probably should have: I wonder how many players went out to eat in a public place last night? I think maybe half,” Mitchell said after the game.

‘I think most of us have watched football in a public place on a Friday night or Thursday night for most of the year – (Ginnivan) played well, he lives the way he lives, and I knew about it.

“As long as he went home around half time, I was happy with what he did. That’s not a problem for me at all.”