Hawthorn is eagerly preparing to head to Adelaide for the AFL's inaugural Gather Round this weekend.
The Hawks are set to take on Greater Western Sydney at Norwood Oval on Sunday at 3.20pm (2.50pm ACST), with the match to be televised on Channel 7.
This additional round will give members and supporters a unique opportunity to experience four days of footy fever in the one state.
CHECK OUT THE TEAM FOR OUR CLASH AGAINST GWS
Gather Round will see all nine matches played within the state, with games scheduled across four days from Thursday to Sunday, coinciding with the school holidays.
After winning their opening game of the season, GWS has since lost their last three games, while Hawthorn have also won the one game this season having defeated North Melbourne in Round 3.
Hawthorn has made four changes for Sunday's game, headlined by youngster Seamus Mitchell who is set to make his debut.
Chad Wingard also re-joins the starting 22 after having been used as the substitute in last week's loss to Geelong.
Meanwhile, Denver Grainger-Barras and Ned Long will both play their first games for the season.
Details:
WHO: Hawthorn vs GWS
WHAT: Gather Round (Round 5)
WHEN: Sunday 16 April
TIME: 2.50pm (ACDT) / 3.20pm (AEST)
WHERE: Norwood Oval, SA
BROADCAST: Channel 7
How to watch
Tickets for the Gather Round match between Hawthorn and GWS at Norwood Oval are now exhausted.
For those wanting to follow along at home, the game will be broadcast live on Channel 7.
Follow @hawthornfc on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for behind-the-scenes access and all the best highlights, photos, stats and stories throughout the game.
What's on
Barra's Yama
Fans are encouraged to attend Hawthorn's Barra's Yama (Captain's Run) from 2pm at Norwood Oval on Saturday 15 April.
Pepsi Max Footy Festival
Bring your family and friends and enjoy a fun day out at the live site located at Elder Park and Pinky Flat from Thursday 13 April to Sunday 16 April with FREE activities and entertainment for all ages!Feast on amazing food, try out the zipline, enjoy live music and more.For more information, head here!
Membership
All members have free access to this game, with tickets (now exhausted) redeemed via Ticketek with a unique 12-digit code sent to members in December 2022.
Not yet a member? Join our family! Browse from plenty of membership package options to find the most suitable way for you to attend the footy in season 2023. Visit online or call our membership team on 1 3000 HAWKS (42957) to speak to a team member.
Last time we met
GWS (72) defeated Hawthorn (50) - Round 16, 2022
The Giants were too strong for the Hawks the last time they met in 2022 at a rain-soaked Giants Stadium, taking home a 22-point win. Category B Rookie Callum Brown was the difference for GWS who kicked four goals.
GWS had two goals on the board after eight minutes, while it took close to 10 minutes for the Hawks to go inside their 50-metre arc, with Connor Macdonald registering their first goal of the afternoon.
That proved the spark Hawthorn needed, as it went on to kick three of the next four goals to take a six-point lead into quarter-time.
After a seven-goal first quarter, scoring dried up in the second, with just three majors added all to the Giants.
Brown made it four consecutive Giants goals when he converted from straight in front early in third quarter, before adding a third and extended the hosts’ lead to 19 points, before Luke Breust kicked the Hawks' first goal in 55 minutes.
After holding a 13-point edge into the final term, that was enough for the Giants after both sides ran out of gas late in the game, which is understandable given the rain never ceased during the match.
Our last game
Geelong steamrolled Hawthorn on Easter Monday to record their first win of 2023 with a 82-point victory.
Although the scoreboard may not seem like it, the game was a tale of two vastly different halves, with the Hawks showing significant growth across the first two quarters.
Fresh from signing a four-year extension, Will Day burst out of the opening centre bounce and found Luke Breust for the first goal inside 60 seconds.
The Hawks kicked the first three goals of the game and should have led by more than nine points at half time, but it was all Geelong from there.
Geelong kicked 10 goals to no score in a third quarter onslaught, before finishing with 16 of the final 17 goals to defeat the Hawks 19.13 (127) to 6.9 (45) in front of 65,335 people.
