Hawthorn and Richmond may be yet to meet in a Grand Final or any final at all for that matter, but they still share a long history.
We take a look at the rivalry between these two famous clubs ahead of their finals match-up debut.
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Overall record
Hawthorn and Richmond have met on 157 occasions since their first clash in Round 1 1925, the Hawks’ or, as they were known then, the Mayblooms’ first VFL outing.
Over the course of their history since, Richmond have won 87 of these games.
Interestingly, the sides have never played in a draw against each other.
Recent history
Over their last eight encounters, Richmond owns the slight ascendancy on the ledger with five victories, including two wins from the sides’ last two meetings.
The Tigers are the only opposition side to hold a superiority over the Hawks in their previous eight clashes.
Biggest win
The Hawks and the Tigers have both handed each other a single triple-digit drubbing over the course of their 94-year rivalry.
Richmond’s win by 114 points in Round 16 1967 slightly edges out the Hawks’ 101-point margin in Round 14 1986 as the largest win between the two clubs.
Longest winning streak
Richmond own the mantle of having the longest winning streak throughout these clubs’ history. The run came from the opening 21 games of this rivalry, when the Tigers remained undefeated in their clashes with the Hawks from Round 1 1925 all the way up until Round 5 1936.
Hawthorn’s lengthiest run of dominance over the Tigers came between Round 16 1985 and Round 21 1994, when they won all 16 of their games over the Tigers.
Biggest crowd
The biggest crowd these two sides have played in front of was actually in the last game they met, in Round 3 earlier this year. That day a crowd of 70,701 watched as the Tigers overcame the Hawks by 13 points.
In fact, the four biggest crowds these two rivals have battled it out in front of have all been in the past six seasons.
Venues
The MCG is the most common venue these clubs have met at. A total of 48 of their 157 meetings have been at the home of football. Glenferrie Oval represents the next most regular venue, with 42 games between the two sides being played there.
Interestingly, they have played at Etihad Stadium just twice in the ground’s 19-season history. Etihad has not been a happy hunting ground for the Hawks when confronted with the Tigers, with two single-digit losses coming from these two outings. They came in Round 6 2004, when the Tiges won by a point, and Round 21 the following year, when the yellow and black were again victorious by four points.
