A win this Sunday would see the Hawks draw level with Melbourne in the head-to-head battle between the two clubs. 

In the past 83 seasons, Hawthorn has won 73 and lost 74 of the 147 games between the two clubs.

Melbourne’s lead dates back to Round 11, 1925 when they won the first meeting by 56 points at Glenferrie. The Redlegs won the first nine games before Hawthorn scored a breakthrough win in Round 18, 1930 at Glenferrie. Hawthorn’s first MCG win did not come until 1938. 

Hawthorn did some serious catching up when putting together the club’s greatest ever winning sequence against another club, the run of 22 consecutive victories against Melbourne from Round 13, 1973 to Round 3, 1984.

In recent times, results have tended to alternate.  The last sequence of two consecutive wins was by Hawthorn in Round 16, 2003 and Round 1, 2004, as was the last sequence of three, back in 1996-97.

Hawthorn won the only meeting in 2007, in Round 2, by 22 points.  Mark Williams booted 6 goals and Jordan Lewis got the 3 Brownlow votes.  In 2008, the two clubs have been drawn to play each other twice in the home and away season for the first time since 2004.

***********

In 2008, Hawthorn will be hoping to maintain a pattern of improving in years ending in the number 8.  In 1968, the Hawks improved from 10th to 6th, in 1978 from 3rd to Premiers, in 1988 from runners up to Premiers and in 1998 from 15th to 13th.

The last decline in a year ending in 8 was when the Hawks fell from 3rd in 1957 to 6th in 1958.

***********

Hawthorn is opening an AFL season in Victoria for the first time since 2004. 

In the first rounds of 2005 and 2007, the Hawks suffered bad away defeats against Sydney and Brisbane Lions respectively.  In 2006, the Hawks won a home game in Launceston against Fremantle.

***********

The fact that Hawthorn has been drawn to play against Melbourne means that the Hawks last four Victorian season starts have been against the Demons, having played them in Round 1 for three consecutive seasons, from 2002 to 2004. 

Overall, the Hawks have won 5 and lost 2 of their seven Round 1 meetings with Melbourne.  The first of these encounters did not take place until 1972, making Melbourne the last of the other Victorian clubs that Hawthorn met in Round 1.

That 1972 game will always be remembered for Peter Hudson’s 8 goals before half time and subsequent knee injury.  It also saw the unfurling of the 1971 Flag prior to the game. 

The picture of the team lined up for the unfurling has now been used to fill a gap in the Hawks Museum. There was no team photo taken in 1972 so the picture of the Round 1 team has been used as a substitute.  Any supporters who are yet to visit the new museum at Waverley will certainly enjoy it when they do. Information on the Museum is here. 

***********

Other memorable moments from Round 1 matches against Melbourne include:

•    Jeff Murray receiving a four match suspension for striking on debut in 1978.
•    Leigh Matthews kicking 11 goals to spoil Ron Barassi’s return as Melbourne coach in 1981.
•    Shane Crawford’s debut in 1993.

***********

The team that Hawthorn has played least recently in Round 1 is the Bulldogs who have not been the opponent in the season opener since 1962.  The next longest gap is to Richmond in 1980.  Hawthorn has not played Essendon in Round 1 since 1971, but in 1985 the Round 3 clash between the two sides was brought forward to be the season opener.  Of the more recent entrants to the competition, the Hawks are yet to play either Port Adelaide or West Coast first-up.

The most regular Round 1 opponents have been Collingwood and St Kilda, both of whom Hawthorn has played 13 times.

***********

Hawthorn first played a League game in March in 1980.  Since then, every Hawthorn season has begun in March with the exceptions of 1988, 1989, 1995, 2002 and 2006.
Playing the opening game on 23 March makes it the equal 5th earliest start in the club’s history.  The earliest ever Round 1 game was played on Monday, 13 March in the Olympic year of 2000.  It is not a happy memory as the Hawks were thrashed by Collingwood at the MCG.

***********

One regular reader of this column was keen to know how many of Hawthorn’s 14 Grand Final had been followed by a rematch to commence the following season.  The answer is six, four times as reigning premiers and twice as runners up. 

Hawthorn only won two of the six, beating Carlton in Round 1 1987 and Geelong in 1990. The latter produced one of the great football quips.  Geelong supporters always said that, if the 1989 Grand Final had gone another five minutes, the Cats would have won.  When given a further 120 minutes, the Hawks demolished Geelong by 115 points, highlighting the true difference between the two sides.

The four Round 1 rematch defeats were against Footscray (1962), North Melbourne (1977), Essendon (1985) and Carlton (1988).   

***********

Hawthorn needs to beat Melbourne this week to avoid suffering the club’s 50th Round 1 defeat.  The current 49 defeats are balanced against 34 wins.

***********

Since the competition, now known as the NAB Cup, became a fully pre-season competition in 1988, Hawthorn had twice previously been eliminated at the semi final stage, in 1994 and 2001.  On both occasions, the Hawks also made the Finals in the real competition.

***********

One need only remember last season to know that Round 1 is often a very poor guide to what follows in an AFL season.

The eleven seasons, 1987 to 1997 provide further evidence of the fact.  In the three years out of the eleven in which Hawthorn lost in Round 1 (1988, 1989 and 1991) the Hawks went on to win the Flag.  In the other eight years, Hawks’ fans went home happy after Round 1, but did not enjoy the ultimate pleasure come September.

***********

The leading individual goalkicker against Melbourne is Peter Hudson who booted 16 in Round 5, 1969. 
The Round 1 club record is held by Jason Dunstall who kicked 12 in 1990 and 1992, both times against Geelong.  Others to reach double figures in Round 1 were Alec Albiston (10 in 1940), Peter Hudson (10 in 1968) and Leigh Matthews (11 in 1981).