THE past two rounds have been the first time in VFL-AFL history when Hawthorn has been on top of the ladder with Essendon on the bottom.
Until it happened this season, Essendon had been the only Victorian club not to be on the bottom at the end of any completed round when Hawthorn has been on top. In fact, the Bombers had been the only exception for a lengthy period of time, with Carlton being the second last to join the list in 1989, following Richmond in 1987.
Hawthorn has already been on top when a number of interstate clubs have been at the foot of the table. West Coast and Brisbane both suffered this fate in just their third seasons in 1989, followed by Fremantle in 2001 and GWS in its first season in 2012. This leaves just Adelaide, Gold Coast and Port Adelaide as the only AFL clubs which have not been on the bottom when Hawthorn is top.
Of the Victorian clubs, it is perhaps surprising that, apart from Essendon, it is the Western Bulldogs which has been on the bottom the least when Hawthorn has been on top, the Bulldogs being there for just three rounds in 1982. At the other end of the scale the Swans have been on the bottom in 35 rounds when the Hawks have been on top, closely followed by St Kilda with 32.
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2016 has become the 26th year when Hawthorn has been on top of the ladder at least once during the home and away season. Of the previous 25 seasons, 11 have ended up being Premiership seasons and another five have seen Hawthorn play-off in the Grand Final. The two seasons when Hawthorn won the Premiership without ever being on top during the home and away season were 1991 and 2015. The years 1940 and 1972 remain the only ones when Hawthorn was on top at some stage during the season but failed to make the Finals.
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Hawthorn has a generally poor record playing away to Port Adelaide. It has lost both its away games against the Power at the Adelaide Oval, but in contrast has managed victories in its two games there against the Crows.
Hawthorn won five of 13 away games against Port Adelaide’s previous home ground, Football Park, plus securing victory in a Final in 2001. This is the eighth consecutive season when Hawthorn has played away to Port Adelaide, one of the odd quirks of the fixture which saw the Hawks not play away to the Brisbane Lions for seven consecutive years before this one.
Overall, Hawthorn and Port Adelaide have met 31 times with the Hawks winning 13 and losing 18. Between 2011 and 2014 Hawthorn won six of the seven matches between the two clubs, including the dramatic win in the 2014 Preliminary Final. However, the Hawks lost twice to Port Adelaide last season, by eight points at Adelaide Oval and 22 points at Docklands.
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This week, Hawthorn plays a game on a Thursday for just the third time in club history, the previous ones being in 1963 and last season.
The Hawks’ first Thursday VFL-AFL game was on Anzac Day 1963, a game also notable in club history as the first time Hawthorn ever played in front of a home and away game crowd of more than 50,000. Anzac day games were allowed in 1960 and on Thursday 25 April 1963 an expectant crowd of 55,293 went along to the MCG to see the Hawks take on Melbourne in a Round 2 match. They saw a thriller, which the Hawks lost by 4 points after storming home from 26 points behind at three quarter time. The final score was 14.16.100 to 13.18.96, with John Peck starring with 6 goals. The defeat left the Hawks 0-2 for the season, but the team were undefeated in their next nine games (8 wins and a draw) which put them on course for the club’s second Grand Final appearance.
Last season, Hawthorn played Adelaide on the Thursday night of Round 12 winning by 29 points watched by an Adelaide Oval crowd of 49,108.
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Traditionally, Round 16 has been a good round for Hawthorn, recording 48 wins and 43 losses. The Hawks have recorded Round 16 victories in six of the last seven seasons, the only loss being in 2014 when Hawthorn lost a Friday night Docklands encounter against North Melbourne. Last season in Round 16 thrashed Sydney by 89 points at Stadium Australia.
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20 years ago, in Round 16 1996, Hawthorn continued its stunning revival with a comprehensive Saturday night thrashing of reigning Premier Carlton at Waverley Park. After nine rounds the Hawks had managed just two wins and a draw and were languishing in 13th position. Now after six wins out of seven games, Hawthorn had climbed into the Eight. The Hawks doubled Carlton’s score to win 15.8.98 to 7.7.49, with Paul Hudson kicking 4 goals and Jason Dunstall 3. The Brownlow Medal votes went to Paul Salmon, Shane Crawford and John Platten.
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30 years ago, in Round 16 1986, Rod Lester-Smith kicked a career-high six goals as the Hawks cruised to a 67 point win against Melbourne – 17.15.117 to 6.14.50. Terry Wallace, Richard Loveridge and John Platten all had more than 30 disposals as part of a dominant midfield, while Robert Dipierdomenico, Gary Buckenara and Chris Langford were all excellent.
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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. Lance Franklin’s 8 goals at the MCG in 2011 is the highest tally by a Hawthorn player against Port Adelaide.
