This week Hawthorn plays its 36^th, and almost certainly final, game at Domain Stadium before the new Perth Stadium opens in 2018. It comes thirty years after the club’s first appearance at Subiaco in Round 18 1987, a game the Hawks lost by a solitary point.

Hawthorn has had 15 wins and 20 defeats at the ground, however there is a big difference between the records against the two WA clubs. Against the Dockers, the Hawks have a positive 8-6 record, whereas Hawthorn trail the Eagles 7-14. Strikingly, six of the seven wins against the Eagles at Subiaco have been in seasons when Hawthorn went onto win the Flag.

It should be noted that not all Hawthorn games in Perth have been at Subiaco, with four played at the WACA Ground in the 1990s.

While there have been several outstanding regular season Hawthorn wins at Domain Stadium, there is no doubt that the most memorable triumphs at the venue were the two victories in Finals, against West Coast in the 1991 Qualifying Final and versus Fremantle in the 2015 Preliminary Final.

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On Saturday night Alastair Clarkson will achieve the dual milestones of reaching 300 games and breaking John Kennedy’s games record for a Hawthorn coach.

So far, Clarkson has a mixed record in his major milestone games. In his 100^th game in Round 7 2009, the Hawks lost to Essendon by 44 points at Docklands, although there was a Hawthorn highlight with Cyril Rioli kicking Goal of the Year. Four years later, in Round 13 2013, also at Docklands, the Hawks had a home game against West Coast and prevailed in a high-scoring affair by 20 points.

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Shaun Burgoyne is on the threshold of joining the elite group who have played 100 consecutive games for Hawthorn. Burgoyne has played 99 consecutive games since he missed a pair of games late in the 2013 season. If he plays on Saturday night, he will become just the fourth individual to play 100 consecutive Hawthorn games, joining Andrew Collins (189 consecutive games, 1988-96), Michael Tuck (138, 1974-80) and Kelvin Moore (128, 1978-83). Two other Hawthorn players, Allan Woodley and Ian Law, are credited with 100 consecutive games by the AFL, but these include state games for Victoria on days when Hawthorn was playing. 

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Overall, Hawthorn holds a commanding 25 to 8 advantage in the head-to-head tally against Fremantle. The Hawks have twice recorded six consecutive wins against the Dockers, 1998-2001 and 2011-14. After a loss at Subiaco in late 2014, the Hawks have now started a new sequence of wins which so far has reached three, a pair of home games in Launceston, plus the 2015 Preliminary Final.

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Hawthorn has played 89 Round 18 matches (there were no Round 18’s in 1925, 1942 or 1943) for the poor return of 37 wins and 52 defeats. Recent seasons have been better with the Hawks winning five of its last six Round 18 games, the only loss being to Richmond in 2015, a result which was reversed last season.

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Ten years ago, in Round 18 2007, Hawthorn thrashed Essendon by 63 points – 17.17.119 to 7.14.56. The margin at the final change was only 23 points, but long running goals to Rick Ladson and skipper Richie Vandenberg, and then a Jarryd Roughead set shot from 50 metres, triggered a final term where the Hawks powered away adding 6.6 to 0.2.

Lance Franklin kicked four goals and Roughead got three, while the Brownlow votes went to Sam Mitchell (3), Grant Birchall (2) and Chance Bateman (1). A further highlight of the game was full-back Stephen Gilham kicking the first goal of his career

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Leigh Matthews was outstanding even by his lofty standards 40 years ago in Round 18 1977. Playing against Footscray at Princes Park, Matthews had 27 kicks and 10 handballs, plus booted seven goals. Matthews’ efforts were certainly needed as the Bulldogs led at every change, before the Hawks finally edged ahead to win by 14 points – 18.10.118 to 15.14.104.

Others in the best players list besides Matthews were Michael Tuck, Kelvin Moore, Geoff Ablett, Don Scott, David O’Halloran and Stuart Trott. Another oddity of the day was that when Peter Hudson kicked his 700^th career goal he was besieged by children running on the ground, but a surprised Hudson did not find out why the children had run on until the end of the quarter.

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50 years ago in 1967, Round 18 which traditionally had been the final round of the home and away season had that status for the final time. Hawthorn won its game, defeating Fitzroy at Glenferrie by 17 points – 13.13.91 to 10.14.74. It was a crucial victory as defeat would have consigned the club to a second wooden spoon in three years. The win took the Hawks to five wins and 10^th position, one game ahead of Fitzroy and Footscray, but behind both on percentage.

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Peter Hudson holds the Hawthorn Round 18 record with a tally of nine against St Kilda in 1970. The previous highest before Hudson had come 30 years earlier when Jim Bohan kicked eight in 1940. Mark Williams holds the record for most goals by a Hawthorn player against Fremantle, kicking eight against them in Round 1 2006 at Aurora Stadium.