For the first time in its VFL-AFL history, Hawthorn has won a game without having a multiple goalkicker.

The Hawks nine goals in last Sunday’s thrilling three-point win against the Bulldogs were kicked by nine different players.

It was only the third time Hawthorn had kicked as many as nine goals without having a multiple goalkicker, the other two occasions remarkably occurring in consecutive games in 2019, both defeats.

The previous closest that Hawthorn had come to winning a game without a multiple goalkicker was in Round 2 1999 when eight individual Hawks kicked goals in a four-point loss to Adelaide at Waverley.

That is the only occasion when Hawthorn has had eight individual goalkickers, while there have been five occasions with seven, the first in 1925 and the most recent in Round 9 this season.

Sunday’s narrow victory was Hawthorn’s eighth by six points or fewer at University of Tasmania Stadium, compared to just three defeats in that range at the ground.

Overall, Hawthorn has now won 124 games by six points or fewer, compared to 119 defeats. Hawthorn has won at least one game by six points or fewer for the last eight seasons, the last season it failed to do so being 2015.

Jai Newcombe has continued the tradition of the number 3 at Hawthorn producing 40-disposal games.

The tradition began with Leigh Matthews who produced the first recorded instance at Hawthorn with 41 disposals (and 11 goals) in Round 3 1973. Matthews had one other 40 disposal game in 1977. He was followed by Anthony Condon who had 44 disposals in a game against Carlton in 1991; then Jordan Lewis had two 40-plus disposal games in the number 3, before Tom Mitchell had an incredible 18.

The only number 3 in the past five decades without a 40-disposal game was Joanthon Hay, whose role as a key defender did not make it feasible. Hay’s highest disposal tally was 24 against Carlton in Round 2 2001.

With Newcombe making five number 3s to have a 40-disposal game, the number is way ahead of all others, with the next highest being number 6 (Josh Gibson and James Sicily) and number 9 (Robert Dipierdomenico and Shane Crawford) both with two.

Hawthorn has now been in 16th position after the past 13 rounds and with it guaranteed to stay there again this coming week it will equal the longest period in which Hawthorn has stayed in the same ladder position, excluding first or last. The current record of 14 rounds was set in 1930 when Hawthorn was in 10th position from Round 5 to Round 18.

The longest Hawthorn has been on top of the ladder was 20 rounds from Round 4 1989 to Round 1 1990, and the longest on the bottom was 23 rounds from Round 15 1949 to Round 18 1950. The winless 1950 season is the only one where the Hawks have stayed in the same position for a complete season.

This week’s game against Melbourne will see the Hawks play on 20 August for the first time since 1989. On that day, 34 years ago, Hawthorn suffered one of just three defeats for the 1989 season going down to the lowly Brisbane Bears at Carrara by 16 points. A pilot strike had led the Hawks to have a difficult journey to Queensland which may have contributed to the defeat.

Prior to that, Hawthorn had won its previous three games on 20 August, in 1977, 1983 and 1988.

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 81 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 and earlier this season was defeated by 54 points in Round 9.

Hawthorn has played 13 games in Round 23, for 11 wins (1991, 1994 and 2011-19), one draw (2021) and one loss (2022). The Hawks had a bye in Round 23 1992.

10 years ago, in Round 23 2013, Hawthorn met Sydney on a Friday night at Stadium Australia, needing a win to secure the minor premiership ahead of Geelong. The Swans led at every change but then the Hawks stormed home with a 6.4 to 3.0 final term to win by 12 points – 17.10.112 to 16.4.100. Jarryd Roughead kicked four goals, while Brad Sewell and Shaun Burgoyne both had 27 disposals.

The two teams met again in the following week’s Qualifying Final and this time the scores were level at half-time, before Hawthorn pulled away for a dominant 54-point victory.

Peter Hudson holds the record for most goals by a Hawthorn player against Melbourne, kicking 16 in 1969. Jason Dunstall holds the Round 23 record with a tally of six, which included his 1000th career goal, against Brisbane at the Gabba in 1994.