Reflecting on all the topical milestones and achievements, past and present, as we head into Round 11 of the 2018 season. This is 'Footy Flashbacks'....
Just over seven years ago, two mature-aged recruits made their AFL debuts for Hawthorn against Port Adelaide at Football Park in Round 7 2011. Isaac Smith had come via Redan and North Ballarat before making his Hawthorn debut at the age of 22 years, 127 days, while Paul Puopolo had been playing for Norwood in the SANFL and was now starting an AFL career at 23 years, 155 days.
Both had excellent debuts, with Smith gathering 21 disposals and kicking a goal, while Puopolo had 15 disposals. Both became integral parts of the three-peat of Flags and have now both gone past 150 games for the Hawks.
This Saturday will be the fifth meeting between Hawthorn and Port Adelaide at University of Tasmania Stadium. The record between the clubs at the venue is currently tied at 2-2. Port won the first two encounters in 2002 and 2007, by 40 and five points respectively, before Hawthorn turned it around to win by 15 points in 2008 and 72 points in 2012.
Amazingly, in the first of these games back in 2002, Shaun Burgoyne was there as a 19-year old making just his third AFL appearance for Port Adelaide.
Hawthorn’s biggest ever win in its 94 VFL-AFL seasons was against Port Adelaide. At the MCG in Round 21 2011, the Hawks won by 165 points - 31.11.197 to 5.2.32 - Lance Franklin kicking eight goals and Cyril Rioli six. Both those star forwards received Brownlow votes, but the three votes went to Sam Mitchell who was outstanding in the midfield.
On the flip side, the heaviest loss of the Clarkson-era came against Port Adelaide in 2005, a 117-point defeat at Football Park – 29.14.188 to 10.11.71. The half-time margin was only four goals, but a 17-goal to two second half produced what remains the only 100-point loss since Clarkson took the coaching reins. Interestingly, 12 of the 22 Hawks who suffered a thrashing that night became Premiership players just over three years later.
In contrast to those one-sided matches, four games between Hawthorn and Port have been decided by six points or fewer, with the Power winning home and away games in 2003 by four points and in 2007 by five points. The other two close games were the only Finals the two clubs have contested, Hawthorn winning both by three points, at Football Park in 2001 and at the MCG on Preliminary Final day in 2014.
Overall, Hawthorn has won 14 and lost 19 of its 33 matches against the Power.
Port Adelaide has certainly been a fertile recruiting ground for Hawthorn. Jarman Impey has this season joined a list which already included previous several former Port players who starred in brown and gold – Stephen Gilham, Brent Guerra, Stuart Dew and Shaun Burgoyne. Only a couple of players have headed in the other direction – Nathan Lonie and Brent Renouf.
Jarryd Roughead will this week join Peter Knights and Jordan Lewis on 264 games played, in equal 11th place on the club’s games list.
Lewis got to 264 in just 12 seasons (2005-2016), compared to Knights who took 17 seasons (1969-1985), missing over 100 games in his injury-plagued career.
Prior to a defeat last season, Hawthorn has a good recent record in Round 11, winning every game from 2008 to 2016 (with byes in 2013 and 2015). The sequence included two wins by the appropriate margin of 11 points (MCG victories against Sydney in 2009 and Port Adelaide in 2010). Despite the recent results, overall Round 11 remains one of Hawthorn’s worst rounds, with the club winning just 37, compared with 52 defeats and two draws from 91 games.
This will be the fifth time in the past 13 seasons that the Hawks and Power have met in Round 11. Port won in 2006 and 2017, while Hawthorn was victorious in 2010 and 2012.
Years ending in 8 have seen a surfeit of Hawthorn versus Essendon games. We will not dwell on the 1998 defeat, but we can look back with pleasure on wins in 2008, 1988 and 1978.
10 years ago, in Round 11 2008, in front of 46,377 at Docklands, Hawthorn turned a seven-point half-time lead into a 51-point win. Lance Franklin kicked nine goals, while Luke Hodge and Jarryd Roughead each contributed three. Jordan Lewis and Chance Bateman were both outstanding.
30 years ago, in Round 11 1988, a Queens Birthday Monday fixture attracted a record crowd of 27,642 for a Princes Park clash between Hawthorn and Essendon. The Hawks were second and the Bombers sixth and the superiority of the higher-placed team was confirmed with the margin increasing at every change en route to a 50-point win – 17.16.118 to 10.8.68. The best Hawthorn players included Gary Buckenara, Chris Wittman, Chris Langford, Robert Dipierdomenico and Peter Russo.
40 years ago, in Round 11 1978, Peter Knights and Paul van der Haar produced a classic battle between centre-half-back and centre-half-forward as the Hawks and Bombers clashed at Windy Hill. Knights ended up shading the duel with 10 marks and Hawthorn won by 29 points - 19.19.133 to 16.8.104. Michael Moncrieff and John Hendrie both kicked five goals, while Leigh Matthews was slightly off-target with 3.6, but brilliant around the ground.
The Round 11 individual goal-kicking record is held by Peter Hudson who kicked 13 goals against South Melbourne at Glenferrie in 1969. Lance Franklin’s eight goals at the MCG in 2011 is the highest tally by a Hawthorn player against Port Adelaide.
