If you're a Hawthorn supporter for whom football history is your guide, you should be in a pretty comfortable place right now.

That may sound odd given the difficulty of achieving a hat-trick of premierships in the AFL era. If the Hawks get up in Saturday's grand final, they'll become only the fifth club and sixth team in 119 seasons to achieve the feat.

Since Melbourne pulled it off for a second time  in 1957, only Brisbane have got there. Indeed, since the Demons of the late '50s, six other back-to-back premiers prior to the Hawks haven't been able to get as far as a grand final shot at a three-peat.

Whatever happens on Saturday, Hawthorn will have got closer. But a look at Brisbane's example should offer them even more hope.

The Lions of 2003 won their third handsomely against Collingwood, but very much against the odds. They came into the grand final with a score of sore and injured stars, eight of whom received injections simply to take the field, Brisbane bringing 18 vials of pain-killers with them to Melbourne.

That chartered flight to the grand final city was taken at 10,000 feet lower than normal commercial flights to reduce cockpit pressure and altitude stress on a team playing its fourth final in four weeks and travelling interstate a fourth time in five weeks.

Like Brisbane, Hawthorn will be playing a fourth final in as many weeks and attempting to turn the tables on the team that beat them in the qualifying final. But on every other score, the Hawks are much, much better placed than were the Lions of 2003.

Health and fitness isn't an issue. Leading goalkicker Jack Gunston appears every chance of returning from an ankle injury, leaving the decision only about which unfortunate player makes way.

That seems likely to be Ryan Schoenmakers, who'd be stiff. Last Friday night's performance against Fremantle was close to the best game he's played for the Hawks in almost 100. But, for coach Alastair Clarkson, it's a nice problem to have.

Back in 2003, Brisbane looked down and out at three-quarter time of their preliminary final against Sydney before producing one of the great rallies to slam on six goals to a solitary behind. Hawthorn's final term against Fremantle wasn't quite that emphatic.

They did, however, go into it with a handy 17-point buffer and rather than merely hang on, won the quarter comfortably, kicking four of the last five goals of the game.

Travel? Two trips to Perth in three weeks could take a toll. But Brisbane had to travel for three finals of four, including of course, the big one, where  they met a team playing on its home ground.

Rightly or wrongly from a fairness perspective, that home ground advantage is now Hawthorn's. And it may count for more than usual.

The Lions of 2003 were at least gracing the MCG for a third time in seven weeks come grand final day. West Coast have played there just once all season, against Richmond in round 12, more than three months ago, and indeed, just once in the past 16 months.

None of which means, by the way, that the Eagles aren't still a serious chance, certainly a better shot than the rather longish $2.40 at which they were quoted after their Saturday night win over North Melbourne.

The West Coast who finished the preliminary final were a far more confident beast than the jittery outfit that began the evening, amassing 28 scoring shots to just 13 after the quarter-time break.

The Eagles will take even more confidence out of their qualifying final victory, one achieved without two critical parts of the midfield, Chris Masten and Matt Priddis, who were close to West Coast's best against the Kangaroos.

Even without that pair, they managed to match Hawthorn for hardness, winning the contested ball count, and forcing the Hawks into some uncharacteristically sloppy ball use and turnovers. .

They also stretched the Hawks' defence to breaking point. Josh Gibson was rendered unable to provide his usual aerial support and an isolated Brian Lake was worked over by Josh Kennedy, the result 17 marks inside 50 and the fourth-highest score conceded by Hawthorn all season.

Grand final inexperience is a potential issue. Only three Eagles – Sam Butler, Xavier Ellis and Sharrod Wellingham – have played in one previously. But it's not like the Eagles are babies , either. Saturday night's line-up included 15 100-gamers, only three fewer than the Hawks fielded on Friday night.

West Coast would be the first club since Geelong in 2007 to come from outside the top eight one year to win a flag the next. That's history of sorts, but nothing like the scale of that which Hawthorn will write should they notch one more victory this season.

Triple-premiership teams are a very rare football breed. But the Hawks are a lot better-placed to join that select group than the last mob who managed to do so.