We're going through the alphabet one letter at a time categorising our Hawthorn players by not just their talent, but their surname too.
We have considered premierships, accolades, and the number of games played, to come up with a select and prestigious crop of Hawks from throughout history.
Your vote counts.
H.
Luke Hodge
The epitome of what the current dynasty has founded itself on, Luke Hodge personifies it all. Highly skilled, incredibly tough and a renowned leader, Hodge has built a reputation as a big-game player. The former number one pick has led a career littered with incredible achievements: four premierships, captain of three of them, two Norm Smith Medals and two Peter Crimmins Medals among much, much more. In an acknowledgment of Hodge's greatness on the biggest stage, only two other players in the history of the game have won multiple Norm Smith Medals. Hodge's name sits comfortably in the conversation of the best ever Hawk.
Watch highlights of Hodgey and teammates from the 2015 Premiership
Peter Hudson
Throughout his 129 game VFL career with the Hawks, an average day for Peter Hudson was kicking five goals. In fact his career average of 5.64 goals a game is the highest of any player to have taken a VFL/AFL field. The only Hawk to have ever won four Coleman Medals, his career tally of 727 goals registers him as the third greatest in Hawk history. Amazingly, the Tasmanian produced four consecutive seasons between 1968 and 1971 where he booted at least 120 goals. His best single season was in 1971 when he kicked 150 majors, remaining the equal league record with the 1934 performance of South Melbourne's Bob Pratt. What makes all of this even more remarkable is that Hudson did all of this in only nine seasons in the VFL. Hudson has since been inducted with Legend status in both the Hawthorn and AFL Hall of Fame, with Leigh Matthews the only other Hawk to hold the same double.
John Hendrie
John Hendrie joined Hawthorn in 1972 after completing his schooling at Scotch College in Melbourne. Debuting at the age of 18 years old, Hendrie played until 1982, after 197 games and 254 goals for the Hawks. A crafty half-forward, Hendrie's strengths were his strong marking ability and a sweeping left-foot kick. Hendrie's best years, both individually and with the team, came in the mid-70s. In 1975, Hendrie finished third in the Brownlow Medal and the following year claimed his first of two premierships, after booting two goals and eight behinds in the grand final.
Albert Hyde
Hyde was Hawthorn's premier target up forward during their first decade in the league. He led the club's goal kicking count for five consecutive years between 1926 and 1930. His best return came in 1928 when he booted 62 goals for the season to finish third in the League's goal kicking. This feat is made all the more impressive when you consider that Hawthorn were winless and finished last that year. Hyde was regularly picked in the Victorian representative side's forward line throughout his career. Despite playing the majority of his career at full-forward, in 1933 he made the shift to the other end of the field, and was again able to make the state side as a full-back. At the end of his career "Bert", born in Brunswick, Victoria, had played 129 games and kicked 269 goals.
