Hawthorn will this week be hoping to extend a remarkable sequence of not having lost in the final round of the home and away season for more than a decade.

Since suffering final day defeat against Essendon in 2009, Hawthorn has won 11 and drawn one in the last match of the regular season.

Final round highlights in that time have included narrow victories against Collingwood in 2010 and 2016, memorable come-from-behind away successes against Sydney in 2013 and 2018, and a big win against West Coast in Perth in 2019.

Luke Breust is about to join a select group of players who have been Hawthorn’s leading goalkicker on four or more occasions.

Breust currently has 40 goals, a lead of three goals which, with his closest rival Mitch Lewis (37 goals) not playing, and Jack Gunston (28 goals) too far back, means that Breust is guaranteed the title.

Others to be leading Hawthorn goalkicker on four or more occasions have been Jason Dunstall (12 times), John Peck (8), Peter Hudson (6), Leigh Matthews (6), Lance Franklin (6), Bert Hyde (5), Michael Moncrieff (5), Alec Albiston (4) and ‘Butch’ Prior (4).

Hawthorn’s fourth greatest goalkicker of all time, Michael Moncrieff turns 70 this Friday, 19 August.

Moncrieff kicked 629 goals in 224 games and was the club’s leading goalkicker on five occasions. In the Premiership seasons of 1976 and 1978, he kicked 97 and 90 goals respectively. Remarkably, the intervening season of 1977 saw him playing as a backman, as Peter Hudson had returned to the club and the full-forward position

Hawthorn has won 11 of its last 15 games against the Western Bulldogs. The Hawks won eight consecutive games against the Bulldogs from 2010 to 2016, the winning sequence started and ended with thrilling three-point victories, at the MCG in 2010 and at Docklands in 2016.

Last season, the Hawks defeated the Bulldogs by 27 points at University of Tasmania Stadium in Round 22 but lost to them by 42 points at Docklands earlier this season.

Overall, the Hawks hold a narrow lead in the head-to-head history between the two clubs, with 84 victories, 79 defeats and two draws from 165 games.

The two clubs have had five previous matches at University of Tasmania Stadium. The Bulldogs won the first encounter in 2008, but Hawthorn has won the past four in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2021.

With two wins at University of Tasmania Stadium already this season, at worst Hawthorn will have a 2-2 record at the ground this season, which will keep intact the Hawks’ amazing record in Launceston.

Hawthorn’s last losing season at the venue was 2005, when the club lost the two games played. Since then, there have been 12 winning seasons for the Hawks, and three drawn ones (in 2007, 2009 and 2021). There were no games in Launceston in 2020. Hawthorn’s overall record in 73 games at University of Tasmania Stadium is 54 wins, a draw and just 18 defeats.

Hawthorn’s most recent final round clash with the Bulldogs was five years ago, in Round 23 2017. A Docklands crowd of 48,090 turned up for Luke Hodge’s final game and saw the Hawks prevail by nine points – 15.9.99 to 13.12.90. The match also saw the debut of Harry Morrison.

Prior to that, the clubs met in the final round of 2000. This encounter produced a 15-point Hawks’ win – 11.15.81 to 9.12.66. This victory secured Hawthorn a position in the Finals for the first time since 1996. Nick Holland kicked three goals and Daniel Harford had 27 disposals, while other good players included Paul Salmon, Daniel Chick, Glen Bowyer and Tony Woods.

Hawthorn will have its equal fourth earliest end to a season, with this Sunday’s final game on 21 August being on the same date as last season’s final fixture when Hawthorn played on the Saturday.

The only earlier Hawthorn finishes were on 18 August in both 1956 and 2000, and on 20 August in 1955. In 2000, the finish was in a Semi Final after the Hawks played their last home and away game on 4 August, the early finish being due to the upcoming Olympics.

Hawthorn has played 12 games in Round 23, for 11 wins (1991, 1994 and 2011-19) and one draw (2021). Given that the Hawks also won their only four Round 24 games (1991, 1992, 1994 and 2011), that means the club is undefeated in 16 games in the two rounds combined.

10 years ago, in Round 23 2012, Hawthorn defeated fellow finalist West Coast by 25 points – 14.11.95 to 10.10.70 – to secure the minor premiership.

The Friday night MCG crowd of 50,023 saw Lance Franklin kick four goals and Jack Gunston three, while Sam Mitchell, Grant Birchall and Brad Sewell were all excellent contributors. The only sour note was a late injury to Brent Guerra which ended up keeping him out of the entire Final Series.

Jason Dunstall holds the Hawthorn individual goal-kicking record against the Bulldogs with 14 goals in Round 19 1996. Dunstall also holds the Round 23 record with a tally of six, which included his 1000^th career goal, against Brisbane at the Gabba in 1994.