This round marks the 40^th anniversary of Leigh Matthews breaking a behind post at Windy Hill.

The Round 18 1982 Windy Hill last quarter in which Matthews broke the post also saw Hawthorn come from 19 points down to win by 18 points, in large part due to Matthews’ brilliance.

It was a crucial game between the teams which were third and fourth on the ladder (both with 12-5 records). After a strong opening term, the Hawks had lost control of the game in the middle two quarters to trail 11.8 to 8.7 at the final change. 

A Michael Tuck goal cut the margin to 13 points at the start of the final quarter and then, in the words of Geoff Slattery in his match report in The Age, ‘Matthews took over’. He kicked the next two goals and ‘from that point there was no way Hawthorn could lose the match, such was Matthews’ influence on his teammates’. Slattery wrote of Matthews that the way he ‘grits those teeth, sets that jaw, and runs full pace at the ball, is one of the great joys of sport’. His single mindedness meant that he had no idea he had broken the behind post. 

After the 7.3 to 1.2 last quarter, Hawthorn won the game 15.10.100 to 12.10.82, with Russell Greene, Terry Wallace and David O’Halloran among the best players.

Paul Dear, who tragically passed away at the age of just 55 last week, will always be remembered for his Norm Smith Medal winning performance in the 1991 Grand Final.

He produced many other outstanding displays in his 123-game, 80 goal career in the brown and gold, including in the 1991 Qualifying Final against West Coast in Perth. Another of his best games was against Collingwood at Waverley in 1990, when his 25 disposals and two goals not only earned him the three Brownlow votes but were crucial in ensuring the Hawks recorded a two-point win against that season’s eventual Premiers.

Luke Breust’s two goals against Adelaide took him to 469 career goals, now just six goals behind John Peck, who sits in seventh place on the Hawthorn all-time goalkickers list with 475 goals.

Mitchell Lewis has by Round 17 already kicked the most goals in a season by a Hawthorn player since 2018, with his current tally of 36, placing him ahead of the final tallies (34, 31 and 33) of the leading goalkickers in the past three seasons. However, he still has a way to go to match Luke Breust’s tally of 54 in the 2018 season.

There is no doubt on the impact of skipper Ben McEvoy on the current Hawthorn team. In the last six games which he has played, the Hawks are undefeated.

There were wins against Brisbane Lions, Collingwood, and Western Bulldogs, followed by a draw with Richmond, in the final four rounds of last season. This season his two appearances have produced a 64-point triumph over Port Adelaide and Sunday’s 32-point victory over the Crows.

Happy 60^th birthday this Friday (15 July) to Peter Curran, who played 109 games and kicked 196 goals from 1983 to 1990 and was a member of the 1986 and 1989 premiership teams.

The Hawks will be hoping to continue a recent pattern of improving their performance in the final few rounds of the season. The last five seasons have improved from Round 17 onwards. The most dramatic of these was in 2018 from tenth after Round 17 to fourth after Round 23, followed by a rise from seventeenth to fourteenth last season.

Hawthorn and West Coast have played 54 times, with the Hawks winning 24 and losing 30. However, at the MCG, Hawthorn holds a 6-3 advantage. The Hawks’ six wins were all by significant margins ranging from 25 points (2012) to 80 points (2001) and including most significantly the 2015 Grand Final (the only MCG final between the clubs).

The record in Hawthorn home games against West Coast is currently tied at 13-13, helped by Hawthorn winning nine in a row from 2007 to 2017. Apart from the MCG, the venues for home games have been University of Tasmania Stadium (7 games), Waverley Park (6), Princes Park (3) and Docklands (2).

In recent seasons, Round 18 has been a good one for the Hawks, with nine wins, a draw (last season) and just one defeat in the last 11 Round 18 games. Overall, Hawthorn has played 94 Round 18 matches (there were no Round 18’s in 1925, 1942 or 1943) for 41 wins, 52 defeats and one draw.

10 years ago, in Round 18 2012, Hawthorn thrashed Essendon by 94 points – 27.18.180 to 12.14.86. Returning from injury for his first game since Round 6, Luke Hodge played as a forward and kicked five goals, ably assisted by Matt Suckling with four majors. Sam Mitchell and Brendan Whitecross both had 29 disposals.

30 years ago, in Round 18 1992, Hawthorn beat North Melbourne by 37 points at Waverley – 20.13.133 to 14.12.96. Darren Jarman was in scintillating form collecting 36 disposals and kicking four goals

50 years ago, in Round 18 1972, Hawthorn thrashed lowly South Melbourne by 59 points at Lakeside Oval – 23.10.148 to 13.11.89. Leading the way for the Hawks were 19-year-old Michael Moncrieff with seven goals and 20-year-old Leigh Matthews with six goals.

Jarryd Roughead set a new club record of eight goals against West Coast in Launceston in 2014, passing Jason Dunstall, who had kicked seven against the Eagles in both 1988 and 1989. Peter Hudson holds the Hawthorn Round 18 record with a tally of nine against St Kilda in 1970. The previous highest before Hudson had come 30 years earlier when Jim Bohan kicked eight in 1940.