Two months into the 2019 season, some trends and quirks are beginning to emerge.
Here are 10 random facts that have arisen after our opening eight weeks.
● The Hawks have used 29 players through the opening eight rounds of the year, which is just below the league average of 29.6. North Melbourne have used the most personnel with 34, while Geelong have selected just 26 different names after the first two months.
● Despite being right near the average of players used in 2019, Hawthorn is the only club in which every player who has featured has notched up at least three senior games. The other 17 opposition clubs have an average of 4.4 players on their lists who have played one or two games.
● 18 of the 29 Hawks who have played in 2019 have kicked at least one goal this season.
● Jack Gunston (nine goals, 10 behinds), Mitch Lewis (4.5) and James Worpel (3.4) are the three Hawks who have kicked more behinds than goals so far this year.
● The Hawks’ top four disposal-winners so far in 2019, Ricky Henderson, James Worpel, James Sicily and Jaeger O’Meara, are all averaging career-high disposal numbers.
● Hawthorn has blooded just one senior debutant in 2019, Dylan Moore. Moore had his first taste of senior action in Round 3 against North Melbourne.
● Luke Breust has won the most free kicks of any Hawk to this point, with 10 whistles in his favour, while Jaeger O’Meara, Liam Shiels and James Worpel have all given an equal team-high 13 free kicks away.
● Hawthorn’s win over GWS last week saw Alastair Clarkson’s record against the Giants improve to three wins, one draw and three losses – or a 50 per cent winning record. The victory has left Geelong as the only side that Clarkson holds a sub-50 per cent record against (37 per cent).
● Hawthorn is the equal-best third quarter team in the competition, winning six of its eight third terms to date. Only Geelong and GWS match this feat.
● Hawthorn and Melbourne are the only two sides to have travelled interstate multiple times this year with an unblemished record.
