Hawthorn has experimented with a range of different alternate jumpers over the years, some have been popular while others, it’s fair to say, have been polarising.
In light of the release of the Legends series guernsey on Monday, we felt it was a good time to take a look back at some of these strips over the last 20 years.
Read: Hawks unveil Legends guernsey
If we ever told you that the Hawks wore a purply-blue chequered guernsey, would you believe us? Sighted in 1995, this jumper only had a one game lifespan – a pre-season game. But the jumper haunted the Hawks long thereafter, as the 1995 season quickly became one to forget with the side managing just seven wins for the year and missing for the first time since 1981.
In his first season as club captain in 1999, Shane Crawford won the Brownlow Medal, an All Australian, the AFLPA MVP and the Ansett Cup for the pre-season competition. He also got to wear this unique jumper that was worn throughout the summer of ’99.
This predominantly gold outfit got exclusive rights to the 2002 pre-season, being worn in encounters with Collingwood, North Melbourne, Sydney and Carlton. Despite winning each of these meetings bar the Swans one, this jumper never got the nod for a season proper appearance.
A throwback to the club’s original guernsey when it entered the VFL in 1925. This jumper was worn in Round 18 2004 for the league’s Heritage Round. Unfortunately, the celebratory jumper did not cause on-field celebrations as the Hawks fell to their 10th consecutive loss, and 16th loss in the past 17 games, at the hands of ladder leaders Melbourne.
Almost a year later in the Heritage Round of Round 20 2005, the Hawks went deeper into the history books to create this 1902 replica. Blue with red and white braces, this was the guernsey worn after various district clubs formed under the banner of Hawthorn Football Club to compete in the Metropolitan Junior Football Association.
Hawthorn launched its The Kokoda Game initiative in 2010 to help raise awareness of the significance of the Kokoda Track in Australian war-time history and to raise funds for the Kokoda Track Foundation, which looks to support those who live along the Track. The jumper, worn in Round 10 2010 against Sydney, proved immensely popular across the Hawks fanbase.
The “Power Rangers” jumper was worn in games in 2015 and 2016. It may have drawn a level of public commentary, but no one could dispute that this was a statement piece.
This imposter shopped the wrong link. Get your hands on the real Hawks Gold Ranger kit at http://t.co/Jg3wLkKlfz pic.twitter.com/UWDkzQHe62
— Hawthorn FC (@HawthornFC) June 16, 2015
Is it just us or does Hawthorn's away jumper look like #TheDress ? #AFL #brownandgold pic.twitter.com/JZYzqNy6vr
— Herald Sun (@theheraldsun) June 19, 2015
In 2015, the Hawks ran a public competition to find a new jumper design. Lifelong Hawthorn fan Courtney Bree, a graphic design student from Pakenham, won the contest with this guernsey which features a HFC monogram on the front.