TWO games between Hawthorn and Brisbane, one played 20 years ago and another 10 years ago, mark the beginning and end of eras for both clubs.
Twenty years ago, in 1995, Hawthorn had played in the previous 13 consecutive finals series, a League record, while the then Brisbane Bears had not yet got close to a finals appearance.
After 15 rounds it was clear that the Hawks were not as strong as in the past, but they were still a realistic chance of playing finals again.
A 7-8 record had them just half a game out of the eight in 10th position. The Bears meanwhile were occupying 14th place with a 4-11 record.
The two teams met in Round 16, 1995, at the Gabba in front of just 8,209 people. For the first three quarters the game followed the historical pattern, with Hawthorn leading 13.10 to 5.13.
Jason Dunstall and Paul Hudson were among the goals, while Darren Jarman and Shane Crawford were winning plenty of midfield ball.
The 45-point margin seemed very comfortable but, picking up on Hawthorn seeking the shade of the stands at the final change, Brisbane sensed a tiring opponent. The Bears produced a stunning 9.7 to 1.3 last quarter to win by seven points.
The game transformed the fortunes of the two clubs.
Brisbane won five of its last six games in the 1995 season to clinch a first-ever finals appearance, while Hawthorn lost all its remaining matches to not only miss the finals for the first time since 1981, but end up in 15th place.
This game set the tone for the next decade.
Between 1995 and 2004, Brisbane made the finals nine times, played in four Grand Finals and won three flags; Hawthorn made the finals three times but did not play in a Grand Final.
The first inkling that the situation might be about to revert to the pre-1995 scenario came in front of 27,778 fans at the MCG in Round 4 2005.
The Hawks beat Brisbane, which had played in the previous four Grand Finals, by 46 points – 18.7.115 to 10.9.69 – to deliver Alastair Clarkson his first ever victory as Hawthorn coach.
Mark Williams kicked six goals, while Sam Mitchell (36 disposals), Shane Crawford (32) and Peter Everitt were outstanding.
While the Lions continued to have the edge over the Hawks for the next couple of seasons, that 2005 game foreshadowed the direction in which the two clubs’ fortunes were going to head in the coming decade.
Over the 10 years from 2005 to 2014, Hawthorn played in seven finals series, four Grand Finals and won three flags, while Brisbane managed just a solitary finals appearance.
In total, the two clubs have met 43 times since Brisbane joined the league in 1987, with the Hawks having recorded 27 victories and 16 defeats.
After Hawthorn won 12 of the first 13 games between 1987 and 1995, the Bears/Lions had their dominant period, but now the Hawks have won eight of the past nine encounters.
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Hawthorn played Brisbane at the Gabba in a remarkable 16 consecutive seasons from 1993 to 2008. In an odd twist, 2015 is the seventh year in a row when the Hawks have not been fixtured to play there.
This Saturday’s game will also be the seventh time the two clubs have met at Aurora Stadium, with the Hawks having won five and lost one of the previous six matches.
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Hawthorn has the opportunity over the next two weeks to record a percentage of over 150 at the end of the home and away season for just the fourth time in the club’s history.
The previous occasions were 1971 (153.7), 1989 (153.2) and 2012 (154.6). In all those instances Hawthorn finished as minor premiers, losing just three games in the first two seasons and five in 2012.
This year the Hawks have already lost six games but the losing margins have all been below four goals, whereas only two of the 14 wins have been that close, hence the current big percentage of 154.2.
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Round 22 was first contested in 1970 and, in the 45 seasons since, Hawthorn has won 30 and lost 15.
In the Clarkson decade, Hawthorn holds a 7-3 lead in Round 22 games, including wins in the past five seasons, versus Collingwood (2010), Carlton (2011), Sydney (2012), North Melbourne (2013) and Geelong last season.
For the majority of its existence Round 22 was the final round but in 1991, 1992 and 1994, and again since 2011 there have been further rounds played.
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Twenty-five years ago, in Round 22 1990, Michael Tuck broke Kevin Bartlett’s League record tally of 403 games.
However, game number 404 was not a particularly happy one for Tuck as Hawthorn lost to Melbourne by 12 points.
A crowd of 57,247 saw Melbourne get out to a 57-point lead part way through the third quarter before the Hawks stormed home.
Other results meant that even if Hawthorn had won they would still have been consigned to the following week’s elimination final, where once again they were to take on Melbourne. Tuck himself played a solid game, picking up 17 disposals.
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Both Peter Hudson and Jason Dunstall regularly kicked large tallies of goals in Round 22.
Hudson kicked 11 in 1970, 10 in 1971 and seven in 1977, while Dunstall contributed 10 in 1988, 11 in 1989, 12 in 1992, 10 in 1993 and 10 in 1996.
Dunstall also holds the club individual goal-kicking record against Brisbane, a mark he set when he booted 11 against the Bears in the first ever match between the two clubs at Carrara in 1987.
