Never in Hawthorn history have two such good players debuted together as when Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge did so 20 years ago this round, in Round 5 2002.

Mitchell and Hodge went onto play together in four premierships; both captained the club; and between them they won seven Peter Crimmins Medals, two Norm Smith Medals and a Brownlow.

To add to the significance of Round 5 2002, the 2008 Premiership ruckman Robert Campbell also debuted in the same game.

In that Round 5 2002 game, Hawthorn beat Richmond by 42 points, with Nick Holland and Daniel Chick each kicking four goals and Angelo Lekkas having the most disposals (27).

This round marks the 80th anniversary of one of the most momentous victories in Hawthorn history. In Round 5 1942, Hawthorn beat Collingwood for the first-ever time, after losing the previous 29 encounters since entering the League in 1925.

A wartime crowd of 4,000 at Glenferrie saw Hawthorn 13.10.88 defeat Collingwood 10.20.80 with Fred Jones starring with five goals.

The Hawks will have to overcome a date hoodoo to triumph over Geelong this Easter Monday. Hawthorn last won a game on Monday’s date of 18 April in 1964 and have lost six consecutive games on the date since then, most recently when it lost to Melbourne on a Sunday last season.

Hawthorn’s most recent victory against Geelong was in Round 18 2019, the Hawks winning by 24 points – 12.13.85 to 8.13.61. That 2019 win was highlighted by a brilliant best-on-ground performance by Liam Shiels in his 200th game.

Since then, Hawthorn lost at Kardinia Park in a rescheduled Round 2 game in 2020 and last season lost by a heartbreaking five points on Easter Monday. Overall, this means that Hawthorn trails Geelong 75 to 92 in the head-to-head, with one draw.

The Hawks will be hoping to improve on their Easter Monday record which has seen two wins in 10 games against the Cats. Since first played in 2010, this fixture has produced just two Hawthorn victories, in 2015 and 2018. The game was played on Easter Tuesday in 2011 (due to Anzac Day falling on Easter Monday) and Geelong won that game too.

Perhaps Hawthorn should consider playing Geelong on Easter Saturday. The last time the two clubs met on Easter Saturday was in Round 3 2006, a game which saw a stunning 52-point upset win for the Hawks at Kardinia Park. Hawthorn led by seven points at half-time, before slipping away to a 21-point three quarter time lead and then blowing the Cats away to win 15.11.101 to 7.7.49. The Brownlow votes went to Hodge, Mitchell and Vandenberg – all Hawthorn captains.

Hawthorn has begun a season with two wins, followed by two losses, for just the second time in its history.

The only other occasion was in 1993. In that season, the opening four games followed a strikingly similar pattern to this year. In 1993, just like 2022, there was a comfortable Round 1 win, a big interstate victory in Round 2, a loss to Carlton by under a goal in Round 3 and a sizable loss in Round 4. The good news is that the 1993 Hawks then won their next game, although that victory, away to Adelaide, was in Round 6, after a Round 5 bye.

Hawthorn has played 96 games in Round 5 for 41 wins and 55 losses (having a bye in 1993). The Hawks won their Round 5 games from 2015 to 2017 but has lost the last four - to North Melbourne (2018), Geelong (2019), GWS (2020) and Melbourne (2021).

40 years ago, in Round 5 1982, Hawthorn recorded an upset win against Richmond, 13.22.100 to 10.22.82. Under the heading ‘Hawthorn silences the doubters’, The Agedescribed Hawthorn as playing ‘the ferocious and relentless style of football which gained it success and notoriety in the 1970s’.  

Leigh Matthews and Michael Tuck were at their best, but it was young players such as Colin Robertson (who completely blanketed Kevin Bartlett) and Chris Mew (who beat David Clokeand Jim Jess) who gave Hawks’ fans much optimism for the future. Richmond’s best two players were both ex-Hawks, Barry Rowlings and Peter Welsh.

50 years ago, in Round 5 1972, Hawthorn defeated Footscray at Glenferrie by 28 points – 14.20.104 to 11.10.76. Peter Knights was tried as a full-forward in Peter Hudson’s absence and kicked five goals. Other good players were Peter Crimmins, Kevin Heath and Robert Day (Will Day’s grandfather).

60 years ago, in Round 5 1962, Hawthorn scraped home for its second win of the season defeating Richmond by four points at Glenferrie – 11.8.74 to 9.16.70. Garry Young kicked three goals, The key contributors were Phil Hay in defence, Ron Nalder in the centre and Ian Law roving.

Round 5 produced what was then the highest, and remains the second highest, individual goal tally in Hawthorn history, when Peter Hudson kicked 16 against Melbourne at Glenferrie in 1969.  The individual goal-kicking record for a Hawthorn player versus Geelong is 12 by Jason Dunstall in 1990 and 1992.