Sydney have upset Hawthorn in an AFL grand final thriller, thanks to a brilliant sealing snap from defender Nick Malceski.

The Swans won a see-sawing, enthralling contest 14.7 (91) to 11.15 (81) in front of 99,683 fans in mostly fine conditions, despite the dire pre-match weather forecast.

Valiant Hawthorn midfielder Brad Sewell, who was possibly his side’s best, missed two snaps for goal in the dying minutes, the first of which would have levelled the scores and the second which would have given the Hawks the lead.

Malceski, who had kicked Sydney’s first goal from a near-impossible angle, then shut the door with another stunning snap with 34 seconds left on the clock.

It was every bit as nail-biting as the Swans’ last premiership, when they beat West Coast by four points in 2005 to break a 72-year flag drought, with Saturday’s win taking their tally to five premierships.

Only four Swans – Adam Goodes, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Jude Bolton and Ryan O’Keefe – playing on Saturday were part of the club’s 2005 flag, with Malceski one of another three that played in their one-point grand final loss to West Coast the following year.