Hawthorn will be hoping to extend an unbeaten home record against GWS Giants when they clash at the MCG on Sunday.
To date, the Hawks have had three wins and a draw from four home games against the Giants, with two games at the MCG (2012 and 2014) and two in Launceston (2013 and 2017).
The two MCG games had vastly contrasting margins with victory by a massive 162 points in GWS’s debut season of 2012, but just seven points in 2014.
The 2012 game was played in Round 15 and saw Hawthorn 28.25.193 defeat GWS 4.7.31, a margin of 162 points which remains the Giants record losing margin. Jarryd Roughead kicked six goals and Lance Franklin four, before leaving the field injured. Franklin’s second goal was his 500th career goal. Four Hawks had over 30 disposals, headed by Matthew Suckling with a career-high 35.
The 2014 encounter was played in Round 11, one of the five games when Brendan Bolton was acting coach of the Hawks due to Alastair Clarkson being ill. Defeat looked a serious possibility when a three-goal burst took the Giants to an 11-point lead late in the third quarter. However, the Hawks were able to regain a one-point lead by the final change and had sufficient composure to hold on for a 14.10.94 to 13.9.87 win. Jack Gunston and Isaac Smith both booted four goals, with Luke Hodge and Liam Shiels among the best.
In total, the Hawks and Giants have played seven times, with the ledger squared up at three wins apiece, and one draw, with neither side yet managing an away win against the other. 2019 will become the first season when the clubs meet twice, with a return game at Manuka Oval in Round 21.
For the first time in 58 years, Hawthorn has not had a game decided by a margin of more than 32 points in the first seven rounds of a VFL-AFL season. The last season with such a sequence was 1961, when the Round 2 win against Melbourne was by 32 points, the same margin by which the Hawks defeated Adelaide in Round 1 this season. Since then, the biggest margin has been 23 against Geelong on Easter Monday.
There have only been three other Hawthorn seasons with no margin greater than 32 points in the opening seven rounds. They were 32 points (1956), 27 (1960) and the all-time low in 1931 when the biggest margin after seven rounds had been a 20-point win against Essendon in Round 7, following six losses by margins of 19 points and lower.
Other more recent seasons which have not been far away from this mark were 1980 where the biggest margin up until Round 7 was 33 points, 199 (34 points) and 2007 (35 points).
Hawthorn has won nine of its last 12 matches in Round 8, with the oddity that all three losses were against Sydney - in 2014, 2015 and 2018. The last club, other than Sydney, to defeat the Hawks in Round 8 was Melbourne in 2006. Overall in Round 8, Hawthorn has recorded 47 wins and 46 defeats (with a bye in 1992).
10 years ago, in Round 8 2009, Hawthorn ventured to Perth to take on Fremantle in front of a crowd of 39,135 at Subiaco. The Hawks took control of the game with a 5.2 to 1.2 second quarter and, although the Dockers cut the margin to 14 points early in the final term, Hawthorn won 13.9.87 to 9.11.65. The best players included Chance Bateman, Sam Mitchell, Brad Sewell and Jordan Lewis, while Lance Franklin kicked four goals.
35 years ago, in Round 8 1984, the Hawks scored a stunning win over Carlton – 23.13.151 to 12.11.83. It removed something of a bogey for Hawthorn which had won only two of the previous 13 against Carlton, including losing both matches in the Premiership season of 1983.
Hawthorn went into the game on top of the ladder with a 6-1 record, while Carlton (5-2) was third. The match was effectively over as a contest at quarter time as the Hawks booted 10.3 in the opening term, maintaining a lead of around seven goals for much of the game. In the final term, Hawthorn added 6.5 to 2.0 to the delight of the brown and gold component of the Princes Park crowd of 31,946.
John Kennedy booted five, Chris Langford a career-high four and Leigh Matthews and Dermott Brereton three each. The list of best players was a long one including Mew, Dipierdomenico, Greene, Kennedy, Wallace, Tuck, Schwab, Matthews, Brereton, Robertson and Russo. The win started what remains the record sequence of seven wins by Hawthorn against Carlton, including victory in that season’s Qualifying Final.
50 years ago, in Round 8 1969, Hawthorn completed its best start to a season to that stage of its 45 season League history. A four-point victory over Geelong at Glenferrie meant Hawthorn had won seven of its opening eight matches, the past three by under two goals.
Hawthorn won 13.16.94 to 13.12.90, with Peter Hudson kicking six goals and Bob Keddie three, while the leading kick-getters were Peter Crimmins (26) and Des Meagher (23).
Round 9 1969 has a special place in Hawthorn history – to find out why it does read Footy Flashbacks next week.
Peter Hudson holds the Hawthorn record for most goals in Round 8, having kicked 13 goals against South Melbourne at Glenferrie in Round 8 1970. Jarryd Roughead holds the record against GWS kicking six in the 2012 MCG encounter.
