Footy Flashbacks: Qualifying Final

Hawthorn’s home and away season provides conflicting omens for the 2015 Finals Series.

2015 is the fourth time that the Hawks have finished with a 16-6 record at the conclusion of a 22-game home-and-away season. The previous three were 1976, 1978 and 1991 – all of which led to premiership glory.

In contrast, Hawthorn will have to create club history to win the flag having finished third on the ladder. Hawthorn has finished the home-and-away season in third place on four previous occasions and only once, in 1985, went onto make the Grand Final.

In the other three years (1957, 1974 and 2011) the Hawks lost preliminary finals. Until now, Hawthorn’s 12 premierships have been evenly divided between years when the team was minor premiers and those when it finished second on the ladder.

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Hawthorn’s 2015 percentage of 158.4 was the best in club history, being comfortably ahead of the previous record of 154.6 in 2012.

It was the 12^th occasion when Hawthorn has had the highest percentage in the competition. In the previous 11 instances, the Hawks have gone on to win the premiership five times, been runners-up four times and finished third twice.

Hawthorn had the highest percentage of any team in the AFL this season, the first time that third on the ladder has had the best percentage for 16 years, the most recent instance before 2015 being the Brisbane Lions in 1999.

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Hawthorn has played five previous finals interstate – against West Coast at Subiaco in 1991 and 1992; against Sydney at the SCG in 1996; against Port Adelaide at Football Park in 2001 and Fremantle at Subiaco in 2010 – winning two and losing three.

The game against West Coast in 1991 was the first ever final played outside Victoria and the Eagles, who had finished on top with a 19-3 record, were hot favourites against a Hawthorn team that had recovered from a slow start to clinch second with a 16-6 record.

It was the first year of the final six and the qualifying final winner would go into the second semi against the winner of third versus fourth, while the loser would play a first semi against the winner of fifth versus sixth.

It was a showery day and things were not looking good for the Hawks when they conceded the first two goals and then lost Dermott Brereton to injury. However, Hawthorn gradually gained a slight ascendancy leading by 11 points at half time and nine points at the final change.

A telling moment came part way through the third term when for the first time the chant from the small band of Hawks’ fans at the back of the stand went unanswered from the Eagles’ hordes.

The game remained in the balance until late in the final term when the Hawks kicked away to win by 23 points – 18.16.124 to 15.11.101.

The home fans were stunned; many long-term Hawthorn fans regarded it as one of the club’s greatest ever wins.

Stephen Lawrence was clearly best-on-ground, not just dominating the ruck contests with 30 hit-outs, but also amassing a staggering 30 disposals, 14 marks and a crucial long goal.

Several of the midfielders were also highly effective including Darrin Pritchard (27 disposals), Ben Allan (26), Anthony Condon (26), Andrew Gowers (24) and John Platten (23), while Paul Dear was outstanding in filling Brereton’s shoes.

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Hawthorn has a good record in qualifying finals, having won 12 and lost five.

The record looks even better if one excludes the different types of qualifying finals under the original McIntyre Eight (1994-99) which carried the risk of elimination – Hawthorn played two of them and lost both. Overall, the Hawks’ finals record is 50 wins and 28 defeats from 78 games.

Hawthorn has played three previous finals against West Coast, beating them in the 1991 qualifying final and grand final, but losing the 1992 elimination final.

In total the two clubs have met 44 times, with the Hawks winning 20 (including the last five), and losing 24.

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Luke Breust missing the Carlton game brought to an end his sequence of consecutive games which stretched back to Round 5 2012. He played 92 consecutive games which put him equal fourth on the club list with Ben Allan, behind only Andrew Collins (189), Michael Tuck (138) and Kelvin Moore (128).

Some records also show Allan Woodley and Ian Law on the consecutive games list with 110 and 100 games respectively. This comes about by including games played for Victoria on the same weekend as club games, an odd anomaly since such games were removed from games played records a long time ago.

Breust’s absence hands the mantle of current consecutive games leader to Shaun Burgoyne who has played 55 consecutive games from Round 19 2013 onwards.

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The most goals by a Hawthorn player in the first week of the finals is the eight by Michael Moncrieff in the 1978 qualifying final versus Collingwood, equalled by Lance Franklin’s eight against the Western Bulldogs in 2008.

Jason Dunstall held the record for the most goals by a Hawthorn player against West Coast, kicking seven in both 1988 and 1989, until he was surpassed by Jarryd Roughead’s eight against them in Launceston in Round 12 last season.