Footy Flashbacks – Round 16 2013
By Richard Allsop
This Saturday will see Hawthorn playing at Football Park in Adelaide for the final time, with Adelaide Oval scheduled to become the home of South Australian football in 2014.
Going into this final game Hawthorn has won just 9 of 28 games at the venue, starting with a loss against Adelaide in the first ever AFL game at the venue in Round 1 1991 and included a run of 6 consecutive losses from 2002 to 2006 (Adel 2 and PA 4). Things have improved lately with wins in the last 3 appearances at the ground, against Port in 2011 and 2012 and Adelaide in Round 6 this season.
Hawthorn has won just 4 of 12 ‘away’ games against Port Adelaide, the victories coming in 2000, 2007, 2011 and 2012, the Hawks also beating Port in an away Final in 2001. This is the 5th consecutive season has played away to Port Adelaide at Football Park, losing by 18 points (2009) and 8 points (2010), before winning the last two.
Hawthorn’s best-ever win over Port Adelaide was in the 2001 Semi Final at Football Park, few gave the Hawks a chance but, in a memorable final quarter, the Hawks fought back from 17 points down to win by 3 points. John Barker and Daniel Harford kicked crucial late goals, while around-the-ground Mark Graham starred, helping to both set-up and save the win. Since the current version of the Eight was introduced in 2000, the 2001 Hawks remain one of only two Elimination Final winners to beat a Qualifying Final loser in the second week of the Finals.
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Last Saturday night’s crowd of 85,197 was the third biggest attendance ever at a Hawthorn home and away game. The only larger crowds were 92,930 versus Collingwood at Waverley in 1981 and 86,179 against Geelong at the MCG in 2008.
Until that 2008 game, no game between the Hawks and Cats had ever had a crowd of more than 50,000. Since then they have all been above 50,000, in fact, the smallest has been 63,476 (2011). Hawthorn’s top ten home and away attendances have been against Collingwood (5), Geelong (4) and Essendon (1).
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The loss to Geelong means that the run of consecutive wins ended at 12, leaving the 1961 Hawks equal with their 1961 counterparts. It also ended a run of 11 consecutive ‘away’ wins, a new club record beating two sequences of 9 (1960-61 and 1989). The defeat also means that Taylor Duryea streak of wins from debut ends at 10 and leaves him third on the list behind Kelvin Moore (17) and Barry Rowlings (12). Brian Lake with 9 will remain equal 4th with Scott Maginness and Cyril Rioli.
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Clinton Young has become the first ex-Hawk to subsequently play for Collingwood since Shannon Gibson in 1997. The 1980s and 1990s saw other examples in Glenn Howard, Scott Crow and Alex McDonald, while an earlier instance was Bill Seedsman in the 1930s.
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Traditionally Round 16 has been a good round for Hawthorn, recording 46 wins and 42 losses. However, the Hawks lost five consecutive Round 16 games from 2004 to 2008, before getting back on track with victories in the past 4 seasons against Collingwood (2009), Brisbane Lions (2010 and 2011) and Western Bulldogs (2012).
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10 years ago, in Round 16 2003, Hawthorn came from 28 points behind early in the last quarter to kick 7 straight goals and beat Melbourne by 7 points at the MCG – 17.11.113 to 15.16.106. The Hawks got back within a goal when Jade Rawlings snuck a set shot through the big sticks, although his facial expression made it appear as if he had missed.
From the next centre bounce, ex-Docker and Bulldog Kingsley Hunter, in his Hawthorn debut, got the ball out of the centre to Sam Mitchell who kicked truly. With Shane Crawford and Nathan Thompson getting injured during the game, it was the Hawks’ young guns – Mitchell, Luke Hodge, Nick Ries and Robert Campbell who stood up in the last quarter. Rawlings was best-on-ground with 5 goals and 11 marks.
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20 years ago, in Round 16 1993, Hawthorn also defeated Melbourne at the MCG, this time by 16 points – 16.10.106 to 12.18.90. Jason Dunstall kicked 7 goals but only got 2 Brownlow votes, as Ben Allan’s 30 disposal game was rewarded with the 3 votes.
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30 years ago, in Round 16 1983, Hawthorn defeated Collingwood by 37 points – 19.23.137 to 14.16.100, after an early scare when the Magpies kicked the first 5 goals of the game. However, Hawthorn kicked 11 of the next 12 goals before half-time. One of the best passages of play of the day came when Gary Ayres took a strong mark in defence and after a chain of handpasses Robert Dipierdomenico kicked a wonderful running goal. Ayres and Dipierdomenico were rated the best of a long list of Hawks which also included Michael Tuck, Russell Greene, Chris Mew and Gary Buckenara.
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Lance Franklin’s 8 goals in Round 21 2011 is the highest tally by a Hawthorn player against Port Adelaide. The next best is 6 recorded by Aaron Lord in the first game between the two clubs in 1997, by Trent Croad (2000), Franklin (2008) and Cyril Rioli (2011). The individual match goal kicking record for Hawthorn in Round 16 is shared by Peter Hudson, Jason Dunstall and Dermott Brereton who kicked 11 in 1970, 1989 and 1990 respectively.
