Reflecting on all the topical milestones and achievements, past and present, as we head into Round 16 of the 2018 season. This is 'Footy Flashbacks'....

Hawthorn won eight consecutive games against the Western Bulldogs from 2010 to 2016.

The winning sequence started and ended with thrilling three-point victories, with Sam Mitchell outstanding in both games. 

In Round 14 2010 at the MCG, the Friday night game was close throughout, with neither team getting more than two goals ahead at any stage. Late goals to Luke Hodge and Lance Franklin helped secure the Hawks’ win.

In Round 3 2016 at Docklands, a James Sicily goal at the 33-minute mark of the last quarter clinched a win for the Hawks, who had come from 19 points down at three quarter time. It was Sicily’s third goal of the term, a stunning performance in just his sixth AFL game.

After a painful defeat in the 2016 Semi Final, the Hawks resumed winning against the Bulldogs in 2017, in their only clash in the final round of the season. A record crowd for a Hawks-Bulldogs home and away game of 48,090 turned up to honour Luke Hodge in his last Hawthorn game. They saw Jarryd Roughead star with five goals as Hawthorn won 15.9.99 to 13.12.90.

Overall, the Hawks hold a narrow lead in the head-to-head history between the two clubs, with 82 victories, 76, defeats and two draws. 

Until the conclusion of the 2016 season, no fewer than six players shared the Hawthorn record for most disposals in a game. Terry Wallace (1983), Anthorny Condon (1991), Jordan Lewis (2014), Luke Hodge (2015), Josh Gibson (2016) and Sam Mitchell (2016) had all had 44 disposal games, with John Platten just behind them on 43. 

Remarkably, in his one and a half seasons in brown and gold, Tom Mitchell has now broken the existing record on no fewer than five occasions, with last Saturday night’s 50 the most recent example.

This Saturday night, Hawthorn will be trying to avoid losing three consecutive games at Docklands for the first time in eight years. Following the last run of three losses in 2009-10, Hawthorn was outstanding at Docklands until the end of the end of the 2017 season, winning 18, drawing one and losing just three in that period.

Hawthorn played Footscray 57 times at the latter’s traditional home venue the Western Oval from 1925 to 1996, recording 23 wins and a draw, which came in the final clash there in Round 4 1996. 

Between 1997 and 1999 the Bulldogs home ground was Princes Park. The Hawks played them their twice, the first game in 1997 being mainly remembered for costing Bulldog Chris Grant a Brownlow, after he was found guilty of striking Nick Holland.

The second was memorable for the clubs playing another draw following the one at the Western Oval three years earlier. On his way to winning the 1999 Brownlow Medal, Shane Crawford collected two Brownlow votes for his 31-disposal game. Ironically, the three votes went to none other than Chris Grant.

Hawthorn will be attempting to win in a round for the 50^th time again on Saturday having failed to do so on four previous occasions - in Round 3 in the past two seasons, in Round 16 last season and in Round 15 last week. To date in Round 16, Hawthorn has recorded 49 wins and 43 losses and one draw.

Hawthorn won nine consecutive Round 16 matches from 1956 to 1964, a further eight from 1968 to 1975, and six from 1989 to 1994. There have been Round 16 victories for the Hawks in seven of the last nine seasons, with a draw last season. Hawthorn’s most recent Round 16 win was a meritorious 22-point victory against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on a Thursday night in 2016. 

Five years ago, in Round 16 2013, Hawthorn played its last game at Football Park, beating Port Adelaide by 45 points. Jack Gunston and Jarryd Roughead each kicked five goals.

Both 15 and 25 years ago, Hawthorn had good wins against Melbourne in Round 16. In 2003, the Hawks came from 10 points behind at three quarter time to defeat the Demons by seven points. Jade Rawlings was outstanding with 11 marks, five goals and three Brownlow votes. Ten years earlier, in Round 16 1993, Hawthorn won by 16 points, with the stars being Jason Dunstall (7 goals) and Ben Allan.

50 years ago, in Round 16 1968, a Glenferrie Oval crowd of 25, 928 saw Hawthorn defeat Collingwood, 15.11.101 to 10.16.76, finishing off the game with a 6.4 to 2.0 final term. Peter Hudson kicked six goals and Peter Crimmins three. As well as those two, other good players included the captain Graham Arthur, Des Meagher, Norm Bussell and Rod Olsson. 

It was the Hawks first win against Collingwood for four seasons, and just its tenth ever, making the overall record between the clubs 10-64. In the fifty years since then Hawthorn has a 57-33 record against the Magpies. 

Peter Hudson, Jason Dunstall and Dermott Brereton share the Round 16 Hawthorn individual goal-kicking record with 11 goals. Hudson kicked 11 in 1970, equaled by Dunstall in 1989 and Brereton in 1990. Dunstall holds the record against the Western Bulldogs kicking 14 goals in Round 19 1996.