Luke Breust’s absence last weekend meant that Hawthorn went into a game without an existing Hawthorn Premiership player for the first time since the 2008 Grand Final. What we do not yet know is whether the team which lost to Fremantle last Saturday contained any future Hawthorn Premiership players.

Such has been the Hawks’ success in the modern era that since the start of the 1955 season only once has Hawthorn had a team which has had no past or future Hawthorn Premiership players. That once instance was in Round 21 2000.

The 2000 season saw three future Premiership players - Shane Crawford, Trent Croad and Chance Bateman – in action for the Hawks, but they all missed Round 21, and thus it was a Hawthorn team without a past, or future, Hawthorn Premiership player which defeated Adelaide by 31 points at the MCG.

This week’s match date of 13 May has seen mixed results for the Hawks, with the highlight undoubtedly being a win against all the odds 28 years ago, on 13 May 1995.

Hawthorn was taking on high-flying Geelong at Kardinia Park and was already missing several experienced players including John Platten, Darrin Pritchard, Stephen Lawrence Anthony Condon, Paul Hudson and Scott Maginness. Then, when Jason Dunstall was a late withdrawal, and Ray Jencke was injured early, victory seemed a forlorn hope. Later in the game, Chris Langford was also injured.

Yet, somehow the Peter Knights-coached Hawks clung to a narrow lead for most of the day, even extending it to as much as 25 points early in the last quarter through goals by the debutant Shannon Gibson and Simon Minton-Connell. Geelong then fought back but Hawthorn hung on to win 11.12.78 to 9.19.73.

It was an incredibly even effort but if one had to single out some of the best players they would include Paul Dear, Nick Holland and Tony Woods, plus Simon Crawshay playing the best game of his young career in the ruck.

The heroic victory set a pattern for games at Kardinia Park for the rest of the 1990s with the Hawks also winning by under a goal in 1996, 1997 and 1999.

The strength of Hawthorn across the decades is highlighted by the fact that last Saturday’s loss by 69 points was Hawthorn’s heaviest ever defeat in Perth. Hawthorn’s previous biggest losing margin in Perth was 61 points to Fremantle at Subiaco in 2002.

Hawthorn has still won two games in Perth by bigger margins than Saturday’s defeat having twice defeated West Coast at Subiaco by 71 points, in 1994 and 2008.

In an odd quirk, Mitch Lewis has kicked his nine most recent goals in the first half of games.

He kicked five goals in a brilliant first half against Adelaide in Round 17 last season, missed the Round 18 game, and then kicked one first half goal against North Melbourne in Round 19. Since his return from injury this season, he has kicked one in the first half against the Bulldogs and two in the first half against Fremantle. His most recent second half goals were two against the Bulldogs in the last quarter of Round 15 last season.

Hawthorn has had several significant winning sequences against Melbourne, highlighted by 23 consecutive wins from 1973 to 1984 and 13 from 2007 to 2016. Overall, the two clubs have played 168 times, with Hawthorn winning 87, Melbourne 80 and one draw.

By securing a draw against the Demons in Round 18 2021, the Hawks prevented the first sequence of five consecutive Melbourne wins against Hawthorn for over 60 years. Last season, Hawthorn lost to Melbourne by 10 points in Round 7.

The Hawks’ only Round 9 success in recent seasons was in 2020 when they defeated Carlton at Perth Stadium by 31 points. That ended a sequence of four consecutive Round 9 defeats but it has been followed by two further losses, to North Melbourne in Launceston in 2021 and Richmond at the MCG last season.

Overall, in Round 9, Hawthorn has recorded 43 wins and 54 defeats from 97 games, having had the bye in 2014.

10 years ago, in Round 9 2013, Hawthorn recorded a comfortable 26-point victory against Gold Coast at the MCG – 18.10.118 to 14.8.92. Lance Franklin kicked five goals and Sam Mitchell got the three Brownlow votes. This made it eight wins in a row for Hawthorn.

30 years ago, in Round 9 1993, Hawthorn struggled to defeat Richmond at Waverley, eventually doing so by 10 points – 20.11.131 to 19.7.121. Jason Dunstall booted five goals, while the best players were headed by Darren Jarman and Shane Crawford.

60 years ago in Round 9 1963, Hawthorn had a third consecutive game decided by six points or fewer. After a draw at Geelong and a four-point win at St Kilda, the Hawks beat Carlton at Glenferrie by six points – 9.6.60 to 7.12.54. A crowd of 25,300 saw John Peck once again be the decisive player, as he contributed six of the Hawks’ nine goals, with Ian Law also outstanding.

80 years ago, in Round 9 1943, Hawthorn achieved an unprecedented 6-2 record after eight games (having had a bye in Round 6), defeating Footscray by 10 points at Glenferrie – 13.11.89 to 11.13.79. Toomy Lahiff kicked five goals, with Jack Barker, Jack Burke, and Jim Bohan also among the best players.

Peter Hudson holds the record for most goals by a Hawthorn player against Melbourne, kicking 16 in 1969. Hudson also holds the Round 9 record, booting 10 in a 30-point victory over Fitzroy at Glenferrie in 1968.