Hawthorn will be looking to record its 50th win at University of Tasmania Stadium when it takes on the Brisbane Lions there on Saturday.
The Hawks’ current record at the ground is 49 wins, one draw and just 13 defeats from 63 games at the ground.
Victory on Saturday will also make 2019 the sixth season when Hawthorn has had a clean sweep of four victories from four games in a Launceston season. It previously had four wins at the venue in 2011 and in four consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2016.
Prior to 2007, when the number of games increased to four, the Hawks also won the only game in 2001, both games in 2003 and all three in 2006.
In the last 30 games at University of Tasmania Stadium, Hawthorn has won 27, drawn one and lost just two games, to St Kilda in 2017 and Brisbane Lions last season. The one draw was against GWS in 2017.
Brisbane Lions will become the second club to be Hawthorn’s opponent ten times in Launceston, joining Fremantle who reached that milestone a fortnight ago.
Remarkably, the Lions have played in Launceston in 10 of the last 12 seasons, with the only exceptions being 2012 (when the two clubs had their most recent MCG encounter) and 2016 (when the only game was at the Gabba).
The Hawks’ win versus the Dockers made it 10-0 in those encounters. The record against the Lions is not quite as strong, but still a very impressive seven wins and two defeats, the losses being in 2009 and last season. The smallest winning margin for either side in these games is 33 points, which the Lions won by last season, while the margins in the Hawthorn victories range from 38 points (2017) to 75 points (2010).
Hawthorn’s first game against Brisbane Lions in Launceston was in 2008, and like this week it was in Round 19. Hawthorn celebrated Shane Crawford’s 300th game with a thumping victory– 16.14.110 to 5.11.41 – courtesy of a nine-goal final term. Lance Franklin kicked six goals, while Stuart Dew accumulated 25 disposals and earned the only Brownlow vote he received as a Hawk.
Mitchell Lewis’ nomination for the Rising Star award this week means that Hawthorn has had at least one nominee in 23 of the 27 seasons in which the award has existed. The only years when there were no young Hawks nominated were 2004, 2007, 2012 and 2014.
Jarman Impey’s injury raises the prospect of the Hawthorn team not having any of the numbers 1 to 4 on the field for the first time in eight years, which will be the case unless either Harry Morrison or Jarryd Roughead makes a return. The last time numbers 1 to 4 were absent was in Round 16 2011, when ironically the Hawks also played Brisbane in Launceston. At that time, there was no number 1 on the list, both Roughead and Jordan Lewis were injured, and then number 4, Rick Ladson, was an emergency.
A perceptive young reader of this column has pointed out that Hawthorn has won a game at the MCG wearing white shorts against Geelong for the first time. The Hawks were in white shorts when they lost the 1963 Second Semi Final and Grand Final to the Cats, and then lost six consecutive away games in white shorts from 2009 to 2014. In recent seasons when Geelong was at home, they chose to wear white shorts and the Hawks were thus in brown shorts when victorious in away games in 2015 and 2018. So last Sunday saw success in white shorts at the ninth attempt.
This Saturday will see the 50th meeting between Hawthorn and Brisbane since the latter joined the League as the Bears in 1987. In the previous 49 games, the Hawks have recorded 30 wins and 19 defeats. The Hawks won eight games in a row against the Lions between 2010 and 2017, before losing both encounters last season and suffering another defeat at the Gabba in Round 11 this season.
Hawthorn has won 32 and lost 24 of its 56 Round 19 games. There was a Round 19 played from 1945 to 1949 (to make up for games missed during the War) and again in 1952 (to compensate for the ‘propaganda round’). However, it did not become a permanent fixture until 1968 (Hawthorn had a Round 19 bye in 1991).
Hawthorn has won its last five Round 19 games, with victories against the Western Bulldogs (2014), West Coast (2015), Carlton (2016), Sydney (2017) and Fremantle (2018).
20 years ago, in Round 19 1999, Hawthorn thrashed Melbourne by 68 points at Waverley – 18.14.122 to 8.6.54. Shane Crawford got three Brownlow votes for his 30 disposals and three goals, Aaron Lord two votes for his six goals and Daniel Harford one vote for his 25-disposal game.
30 years ago, in Round 19 1989, Hawthorn also had a game against Melbourne at Waverley, winning by 24 points – 12.15.87 to 9.9.63. John Platten, Gary Ayres and Dean Anderson were outstanding around the ball, while Jason Dunstall kicked five goals.
40 years ago, in Round 19 1979, you guessed it, Hawthorn played Melbourne at Waverley and had a 22-point win with 14.11.95 to an inaccurate Melbourne 8.25.73. The Hawks went into the game having lost its previous three matches and another defeat looked likely when the Hawks trailed by 33 points at quarter-time. Hawthorn found an unlikely avenue to kick a winning score by moving defender David O’Halloran to the forward line where he kicked four goals.
Jason Dunstall holds the individual goal-kicking record for Round 19, setting it in 1996 when he kicked 14 against Footscray at Waverley on a Saturday night. Dunstall also holds the club individual goal-kicking record against Brisbane, with 11 goals in the first ever match between the two clubs at Carrara in 1987.
