Hawthorn will be hoping to improve a poor record against West Coast in Perth when it takes on the Eagles at Subiaco this Sunday. In the past 20 years, the Hawks have only come away with the points three times – in 1994, 1999 and 2008.
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There has perhaps been no more stunning turnaround from week-to-week in Hawthorn history than when the Hawks ventured to Subiaco to play West Coast in Round 5 1994. The Hawks had lost their previous three matches by a combined total of 268 points and thus were given no chance against the high-flying Eagles.
However, the return from injury of Jason Dunstall, Chris Langford and Jason Taylor transformed the team, and, after a slow start, the Hawks stunned the home crowd by taking complete control and winning by 71 points - 19.15.129 to 8.10.58.
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71 points was also the margin in 2008, when the Hawks tuned up for the finals with a 19.19.133 to 9.8.62 victory, highlighted by a 9-goal third quarter. Campbell Brown and Lance Franklin both kicked 4 goals, while several midfielders chalked up over 30 disposals, headed by Jordan Lewis and Brad Sewell with 33 each.
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The 1999 victory was different from the 1994 and 2008 wins in two ways. One was that the game was played at the WACA Ground and second it was close. The Hawks won a late-season thriller by just two points – 12.12.84 to 11.16.82.
What made the win more meritorious was that the Hawks came from 31 points down at quarter time, 20 points behind at half-time, and 2 down at the final change.
Joel Smith and Aaron Lord kicked 3 goals, while Shane Crawford was best on ground. Others in the best were Jonathan Hay, Trent Croad, John Barker, Kris Barlow, Craig Treleven and Nathan Thompson.
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Hawthorn’s win at the MCG in the final home and away game of last season took the overall record between the two clubs to Hawthorn 16 wins and West Coast 24.
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Hawthorn has won only 6 of its past 20 Round 2 matches and overall, the round is one of the club’s poorest with 35 wins, one draw and 52 losses.
10 years ago, in Round 2 2003, the Hawks beat West Coast at Aurora Stadium by just 2 points – 13.13.91 to 14.5.89. The Hawks led at every change and looked home when Kris Barlow kicked a goal half way through the last quarter, but then 3 quick goals to the Eagles saw them snatch the lead. Up stepped the Tasmanian Jade Rawlings to goal with two minutes remaining to give the Hawks a one point advantage and he then added a behind after the siren to deliver the final 2 point margin.
Rawlings kicked 3 goals for the game as did Lance Picioane, the latter also having 21 disposals and some rating him Hawthorn’s best, although the only Hawk to get Brownlow votes was Shane Crawford who got 2.
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Jason Dunstall holds the record for the most goals by a Hawthorn player against West Coast, kicking 7 in both 1988 and 1989. Dunstall also holds the club’s Round 2 record kicking 9 twice – in 1988 versus Richmond and in 1991 versus Sydney.
