Dylan Moore has become the eighth current Hawthorn player to receive a perfect 10 coaches’ votes in a game for the club.

Prior to last Saturday’s stunning five-goal, 27-disposal performance against Adelaide, Moore’s best was nine votes, which was recorded against the same opponent in Round 17 2022, so he certainly likes playing against the Crows.

The current Hawk with the most perfect 10s for the club in the coaches’ award is James Sicily with seven, closely followed by Jack Gunston with six. Other current players to have received 10s for Hawthorn are James Worpel (4 times), Chad Wingard (also 4), Jai Newcombe (2), Luke Breust (1) and Mitch Lewis (1). 

The 2024 Hawks are showing signs of emulating the feats of the last two Hawthorn teams to begin seasons with five consecutive defeats.

The 1960 Hawks, like the current team, broke through for their first win in Round 6, and had an identical 5-7 record by Round 12. Their 1970 counterparts took longer to record their first victory, not doing so until Round 8, but then won four of the next five to be 4-8 by Round 12.

The 1960 team finished with 11 wins for the season, narrowly missing the Finals, and the 1970 team won 10 games for the year. Both went onto win the Flag the following season.

This Saturday, Hawthorn will be seeking to keep an unbeaten record in home games against the GWS Giants intact. The Hawks have had five previous home games against the Giants for four wins and a draw, with two of the five at University of Tasmania Stadium – an 83-point win in 2013 and the draw in 2017. 

This is the first time the Hawks have had a home game against GWS since 2019, although there was an away game against the Giants at the MCG in 2021, which the Hawks also won. The Hawks’ overall record against the Giants from 14 games is six wins, a draw and seven defeats. 

Hawthorn’s current position of twelfth on the ladder makes it the first time since 2019 that the Hawks have been above the bottom six on the ladder later in the season than Round 8.

Last Saturday, Hawthorn ended the second period in its history when it has been behind on centuries for and against. The century against the Crows levelled the tally up again at 707 apiece. Hawthorn was behind from 1925 to 2014, so the second period, lasting just nine rounds from Round 3 to Round 11 this season, has been comparatively short.

Saturday’s crowd of 36,086 was the third largest ever for a Hawthorn home game against Adelaide. The only larger attendances at home against Adelaide were 45,781 (2016) and 37,420 (2017).

If Luke Breust is the substitute this week against GWS Giants, he will equal his own record of most consecutive games as Hawthorn sub. As described in last week’s Footy Flashbacks, Breust was sub in his first five games and has now been the sub in the past four games. With the sub system in operation from 2011 to 2015, and again from 2021 onwards, no other Hawthorn player has been the sub on more than three occasions.

The aggregate tally of free kicks last Saturday was the highest in a Hawthorn game for two years. The last time the aggregate free kick count reached 50 in a Hawthorn game was in Round 11 2022 when a total of 54 free kicks were paid in the match against Gold Coast in Darwin, 22 to the Hawks and 32 to the Suns.

If any readers think that 50 free kicks in a game is a lot, just be aware that 50 years ago, there would often be twice as many free kicks paid by the sole umpire in a game. For instance, in Round 16 1971, umpire Ian Coates paid a total of 127 free kicks in Hawthorn’s game against South Melbourne at the Lakeside Oval, 55 to the Hawks and 72 to the Swans.

Hawthorn has played 97 matches in Round 13 for 45 wins, 51 defeats and one draw (in 1926) with two byes (2012 and 2017). The Hawks had an unbeaten run in Round 13 from 2010 to 2018 and have had two more recent Round 13 wins - an upset 38-point win against Sydney at the SCG in 2021 and last season’s 25-point victory over Brisbane Lions at the MCG.

10 years ago, in Round 13 2014, the Hawks made it three wins in a row under interim coach Brendan Bolton with a 28-point victory - 18.10.118 to 13.12.90 - against Carlton on a Friday night at the MCG. Jarryd Roughead and Cyril Rioli both kicked three goals and Brad Sewell got the three Brownlow votes. Ben Ross, who came on as the sub, kicked the only goal of his four-game Hawthorn career.

60 years ago, in Round 13 1964, Hawthorn set up a 16-point win against Carlton at Princes Park by keeping the Blues scoreless in the opening term. The final quarter was notable for neither team kicking a goal, the Blues adding five behinds and the Hawks just one. Hawthorn won 8.10.58 to 5.12.42, with John Peck and Ian Law both kicking two goals. The win lifted Hawthorn to second on the ladder.

70 years ago, in Round 13 1954, Hawthorn had a thumping Glenferrie Oval victory against St Kilda, winning by 61 points – 14.17.101 to 5.10.40. Playing just his sixth game and still only 16 years old, John Peck showed his prodigious talent by kicking five goals. Other players among the best included Phil O’Brien, Lance Wilkinson, John Kennedy, Roy Simmonds and John O’Mahony.

Jarryd Roughead holds the Hawks’ individual record against GWS, kicking six in 2012 at the MCG. Peter Hudson and Jason Dunstall share the Round 13 goalkicking record, with Hudson booting nine against Fitzroy in 1971, which Dunstall equalled against Geelong in 1988. They are followed by bags of eight from Peter Knights (1972), Mike Moncrieff (1980) and Simon Minton-Connell (1995).