Hawthorn takes positive recent records at the SCG and in Round 14 into Friday night’s clash with Sydney. Hawthorn has won its last five matches at the SCG and its last nine in Round 14.
Last season’s Round 23 victory versus Sydney made it five in a row for the Hawks at the SCG, including wins by the narrow margins of seven (2012), five (2016), six (2017) and nine (2018).
Who could forget the exciting goals kicked by Brad Sewell (2012), Cyril Rioli (2016) and Jarryd Roughead (2017) to clinch victories, remarkably all three being preceded by goals from the maestro of the tight finish, Shaun Burgoyne. Last season, goals from Harry Morrison, Ricky Henderson and Luke Breust took the margin from a deficit of nine to the nine-point win and clinched a top-four place.
Overall, Hawthorn has a 15-12 advantage in games against the Swans at the SCG and a 16-12 record at the ground, having also beaten North Melbourne there in 1979.
The Hawks and Swans also played four times at Stadium Australia recording two wins each, the Hawthorn victories coming in 2013 and 2015, with Sydney prevailing in 2009 and 2014.
In total, Hawthorn has played South Melbourne / Sydney 166 times, recording 93 wins, 71 defeats and two draws. Each club had periods where they dominated the other with South putting together sequences of 15 wins (1929-37) and 13 wins (1944-51), while the Hawks’ best sequences were 13 from 1971 to 1977, followed by 11 from 1981 to 1986.
Hawthorn can get ahead of the Round 14 win-loss register with a win this week. Going into Friday night’s game, Hawthorn has played 92 matches in Round 14, recording 46 wins and 46 losses (and had the bye in both 1993 and 1994).
This would be a remarkable achievement, given how poor the club’s results were in this round in its early years. Hawthorn lost its first 12 Round 14 matches before a breakthrough win against Fitzroy in Round 14 1937. By 1954, after 30 League seasons, the Hawks had still only won four Round 14 games, compared to 26 defeats.
Things really began improving in John Kennedy’s era when Hawthorn won 13 of 14, including all ten in his second period as coach from 1967 to 1976.
The final impetus towards Round 14 parity has come from winning the last nine games in this round, with the Hawks beating the Western Bulldogs (2010), Essendon (2011), Carlton (2012), Brisbane Lions (2013), Collingwood (2014 and 2015), Gold Coast (2016 and 2018) and Adelaide (2017).
Ben Stratton is certainly not the first Hawthorn captain to be suspended. In fact, he joins a long list of Hawthorn leaders to have been suspended while holding the club captaincy. Stretching back to 1950, the list includes Kevin Curran, Ted Fletcher, Graham Arthur, Don Scott, Leigh Matthews, Shane Crawford, Richie Vandenberg and Luke Hodge.
Sad news with the passing of Alf Hughes, a key member of Hawthorn’s first Finals team in 1957. Hughes had his best season in 1957 winning the club Best and Fairest, representing Victoria and receiving 12 Brownlow votes. Recruited from East Brunswick, Hughes had a strong family connection with Hawthorn, as his uncle was the legendary Bert Hyde, one of the best players in Hawthorn’s early years in the VFL.
Hughes played 107 games for the Hawks from 1953 to 1959 but did not kick a single goal. This is the longest goalless Hawthorn career. For a while, Josh Gibson looked like taking over this record, however, eventually Gibson did kick a goal, so Hughes retained his record.
As foreshadowed in last week’s Footy Flashbacks, Hawthorn’s loss to Essendon last Friday night was its 1000th in its VFL-AFL history. With 977 wins, (and 11 draws) the current deficit is 23, four above its modern-day low of 19, which was achieved after the win versus Sydney in Round 23 last season. The previous time it had been as low as 19 was after Round 13 1926.
Hawthorn has now gone 17 consecutive games without recording a century score, equaling a similar sequence in the 2004 season, If the Hawks do not reach 100 this week, it will be the longest run without a century since a run of 33 century-less games in 1965-66.
30 years ago, in Round 14 1989, the game was over as a contest at quarter time as Hawthorn slammed on 8.8 to 0.3 against West Coast at Princes Park. The next two quarters were quite even with the Hawks only extending their quarter time lead to 54 and 58 at the next two intervals. However, the final term saw Hawthorn add a further 5.7 to 0.4 to win with an inaccurate 19.27.141 to 6.14.50. The multiple goal-kickers were Jason Dunstall with seven and Dermott Brereton with three, while Michael Tuck was awarded the three Brownlow votes.
50 years ago, in Round 14 1969, Hawthorn scored an exciting seven-point win against Essendon at Glenferrie – 17.19.121 to 16.18.114. Peter Hudson kicked five goals and Lance Morton four, the ball being regularly pumped into the forward line by Peter Crimmins and Des Meagher, who both had 24 kicks.
60 years ago, in Round 14 1959, the game was similar to 1989, as Hawthorn set up a win with an eight-goal opening term. The Hawks beat Footscray at Glenferrie by 47 points – 14.15.99 to 7.10.52. John O’Mahony kicked a career-high four goals.
Peter Hudson holds the individual goals record for Hawthorn against the Swans, twice kicking 13, in both 1969 and 1970. He also holds the Round 14 record with 12 goals kicked against Footscray at Glenferrie in 1968.
