Complex sentence: Hawthorn defeated in its first qualifying final by 38 points to progress to the preliminary final, then narrowly beat by five points to qualify for the Grand Final for the first time since 2008.
Split into simpler sentences: Hawthorn defeated in its first qualifying final by 38 points to progress to the preliminary final. They beat in a close preliminary final by five points to qualify for the Grand Final for the first time since 2008.