Footy Flashbacks: Preliminary Final

Remarkably, Hawthorn’s last four preliminary finals have all been decided by less than a goal.

The recent run of thrillers continues a trend which has seen nine of the Hawks total of 14 prelims decided by a margin smaller than two goals. Hawthorn has won six of the nine, by margins of nine (1963), ten (1985), two (1987), five (2012 and 2013) and three points (2014). The three narrow defeats were by five (1974), nine (2001) and three points (2011).

Oddly, if a Hawthorn preliminary final is not close, it is usually very one-sided, with wins by 56 (1986) and 54 (2008), offset by defeats of 68 points (1957) and 67 (1977). The only margin between the two extremes was the 31 point loss to Carlton in 1982. This leaves Hawthorn’s overall record in Preliminary Finals as eight wins and six defeats.

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Hawthorn and Fremantle have met in two previous finals – a 2010 elimination final and the 2013 grand final – for one win apiece. In both games, the eventual loser had only managed a single goal by half-time.

At Subiaco in 2010 the sixth-placed Dockers beat the seventh-placed Hawks by 30 points – 14.10.94 to 8.16.64.

Hawthorn’s only first half goal was kicked by Lance Franklin at the 15 minute mark of the first quarter. After a half-time score of 1.11, Jarryd Roughead added the Hawks’ second goal at the seven minute mark of the third quarter, and by then the Dockers had built a 36 point lead.

All readers would remember the Hawks’ 15-point win over the Dockers in the 2013 Grand Final - 11.11.77 to 8.14.62, after leading 5.5 to 1.6 at half-time.

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Luke Breust’s six goals against Adelaide saw him become the tenth Hawthorn player to kick six or more goals in a final.

In total, it has happened 21 times, with the list headed by Jason Dunstall (six times), Leigh Matthews (four), Peter Hudson, Dermott Brereton and Lance Franklin (all two). Players to have done it once include Michael Moncrieff, Peter Knights, Paul Abbott and Jarryd Roughead.

This week, Breust has the opportunity to join the elite group of players to have kicked 20 goals in finals for Hawthorn. Breust would be the 11^th individual to reach the mark, joining teammates Jarryd Roughead (39) and Jack Gunston (25).

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Against Adelaide, Sam Mitchell became the 14^th person to play 20 finals for Hawthorn.

He will be joined this week by Grant Birchall, Luke Hodge and Jordan Lewis.

Coincidentally, three other members of the team (Josh Gibson, David Hale and Brian Lake) will also reach their 20-final milestones, with their tallies including finals for previous clubs. And this week Shaun Burgoyne will play his 30^th Final, putting him in outright third place in the all-time VFL-AFL list behind only Michael Tuck (39) and Gordon Coventry (31).

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Only three other Hawks have played more games in their first ten seasons than Grant Birchall has in his decade at Hawthorn. Birchall has currently played 214 games, behind only John Platten (219), Chris Langford (217) and his teammate Jordan Lewis (217).

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Thirty years ago, in the 1985 Preliminary Final, Hawthorn overcame a spirited Footscray team to secure a third consecutive grand final appearance. Any Hawks’ fans in the Waverley crowd expecting an easy win following Hawthorn’s 93-point win against the Bulldogs in a qualifying final a fortnight earlier quickly learnt that this would be a tougher assignment.

Footscray led by eight points at quarter time before Hawthorn led by four and one points respectively at the last two changes. After a quiet game, Leigh Matthews made a decisive contribution in the final quarter with two brilliant goals. Hawthorn won 16.13.109 to Footscray 15.9.99. Richard Loveridge, John Kennedy and Ken Judge headed the list of best players.

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The attendance of 70,879 against Adelaide last Saturday night was the second largest for a Hawthorn final (excluding Grand Finals) against an interstate opponent. The only larger one was the 74,757 who attended last year’s preliminary final against Port Adelaide. Previous MCG finals against Adelaide had attracted 55,287 (1993) and 69,146 (2012).

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Before last season’s Round 21 loss at Subiaco, the Hawks had won their previous six games against Fremantle, equalling an earlier record sequence of six, from 1998 to 2001.

This season the two clubs met in Round 15 at Aurora Stadium with Hawthorn winning by 72 points – 17.13.115 to 6.7.43. Luke Breust kicked four goals, while Sam Mitchell, Grant Birchall and Luke Hodge all had more than 30 disposals.

Overall, the Hawks hold a commanding 23 to 8 advantage in the head-to-head between the two clubs. They have met 13 times at Subiaco, with Hawthorn holding a 7-6 advantage.

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Jarryd Roughead’s six goals in last season’s preliminary final was a new Hawthorn record, beating the five recorded by Jason Dunstall (1986), Gary Buckenara (1987) and Mark Williams (2008). Williams still holds the record for most goals by a Hawthorn player against Fremantle, kicking eight against them in Round 1, 2006, at Aurora Stadium.