The last time Hawthorn was as high as third on the ladder was after Round 17 2001. 

Fans may recall that Round 17 2001 was the game against Carlton famously won by a Ben Dixon goal after the siren. 

Dixon was one of three Hawks to appear in both Round 17 2001 and Round 10 2007.  The others were Shane Crawford and Joel Smith.  Given Dixon’s early injury on Sunday, the two games could not have presented a bigger personal contrast for him.

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If Hawthorn goes on to make the finals in 2007, it will be only the second time that the Club has done so having been in last place on the ladder (after a full round) at some point in the season.

This year the Hawks were last after Round 1.  The only other instance came in 1994, when after consecutive thrashings totaling 268 points in Rounds 2 to 4, the Hawks were 15^th in the then 15-team competition.  That season was turned around by a stunning 71 point thrashing of eventual Premiers, West Coast, at Subiaco in Round 5.

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If Hawthorn beats Sydney on Saturday and takes its tally to 8-3, it will be the Club’s equal best first half of a home and away season since 1989.  The other 8-3 first half was in 2001, but having won the first eight matches, Hawks fans were quite concerned reaching halfway on the back of three straight losses.

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Including the last four games of last season, Hawthorn has won 11 of its past 14 games.  The last time the Club had such a good sequence of results was in late 2000-early 2001, when the team won 12 out of 13.  The Hawks won four in a row late in 2000, before losing a semi final to the Kangaroos, and then reeled off wins in the first eight matches of 2001.

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Hawthorn has played South Melbourne / Sydney 140 times for 77 wins, 61 defeats and two draws. The best sequence of wins was 13 from 1971 to 1977, followed by 11 from 1981 to 1986, while the Swans best sequence against any opponent is the 15 wins they recorded against Hawthorn from 1929 to 1937, which they followed with another 13 straight form 1944 to 1951. The Swans have won the last four clashes, the Hawks having won the four prior to that.

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Hawthorn has played 82 matches in Round 11 and it has been one of poorest rounds for the Club, producing only 30 wins, plus two draws and last season became the first round in which the Club has been beaten 50 times.  In the past 10 seasons, Hawthorn has won only once (2003), and drawn once (1999), in Round 11.

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Peter Hudson kicked 13 goals against South Melbourne in consecutive matches in Round 11, 1969 and Round 8, 1970. Both matches were at Glenferrie and on both occasions he kicked the very accurate 13.2.  The 1969 bag also represents the most goals kicked by an individual for Hawthorn in Round 11.  

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1957 – Fifty years on

Round 9, 1957

Monday 17 June 1957 at Glenferrie

Hawthorn 15.14.104 d. Fitzroy 7.14.56

Hawthorn won four consecutive games for just the second time in the Club’s league history when they easily accounted for Fitzroy on the holiday Monday at Glenferrie.  The only previous sequence of four wins had come in 1943, with four wins (and a bye) in Rounds 3 to 7.  What was notable was that the four 1957 wins were achieved with the identical XVIII, with the only changes being to the reserves.

During the week leading up to the game coach Jack Hale experienced the 1957 equivalent of being “on the couch” by appearing on the Ron Casey Sports Forum on Wednesday night on 3DB, where the special topic for discussion was “Is the shepherder being umpired out of the game?”.

Another news item during the week was the imminent return to training of John Cooper.  Cooper had appeared in the season’s early matches, but had more recently been away on his three week honeymoon.

A large crowd of 25,500 attended the game, part of a new record attendance of 195,931 at the six matches over the long weekend.  The crowd were in a buoyant pre-match mood reportedly chanting “We want Inger” in honour of the new glamour full-forward, Terry Ingersoll.  It was reported that “not even four points in a row in the first quarter could quench their enthusiasm for the former NSW star”.

The game was effectively over as a contest at half time when Hawthorn led by 50 points, having had twenty scoring shots to five.

The Age reported that “in a first class display of pace and system Hawthorn overwhelmed Fitzroy at Glenferrie Oval yesterday” while The Sun commented that “Hawthorn’s pace, clever play-on game, better backing up and more balanced teamwork gave it a comfortable win over a disappointing Fitzroy”..

There were varying views about who the best players were.  The following week’s Football Record commented on the best players:

“Phil O’Brien was the outstanding figure in the game at Glenferrie.  He dominated the forward division, driving the ball goalwards every time it came his way.  He was never subdued.  Brendan Edwards gave a sparkling exhibition on the wing and Alf Hughes was a tower of strength in the back pocket.  John Kenendy rucked solidly and Alan Woodley was the star of the aerial duels.  Graham Arthur and Don Gent were others to show out.”

The Seconds were also in the news in this round, protesting the result of their one point loss to Fitzroy in a game played on the Saturday and then backing up to play a combined Eastern Suburban League side at Mitcham on the Monday.

Player of the week

Alf Hughes had his best year in 1957, representing Victoria in three matches and winning the Club best and fairest award.

One of his best performances for the year was in Round 9 against Fitzroy.  He recalls playing on Owen Abrahams who ended up being Fitzroy’s leading goalkicker in 1957 with 31 goals, but Hughes kept him goalless in this encounter.  The Age said of his display:

“Playing in a back pocket, Alf Hughes gave a great display of defensive football, rising to great heights in the second half.  His judgment, marking and long kicks repulsed many Fitzroy attacks.”

Having only played three matches in 1956 due to illness, Hughes was determined to have a good year in 1957.  He began his own pre-season training in January.  Living in a unit near St James’ Park, he began every day by running laps of the oval and says he began the season “physically fit and mentally right”.

Hughes says that the highlight of the year was “beating Melbourne twice in the one season”.

Hughes had originally been recruited from East Brunswick.  Hawthorn was the obvious destination for Hughes as his uncle was former club great Bert Hyde (his mother’s younger brother).

In his seven year Hawthorn career, between 1953 and 1959, Hughes played 107 games.  He did not kick a single goal, the greatest number of games played by a Hawk without registering a goal.  Cam McPherson, 104 games, is the only other Hawk to play 100 games without kicking a goal.

After Hawthorn, he had spells as captain-coach at Nhill, Mansfield and Macleod-Rosanna, before returning to Hawthorn and spending eight years on the recruiting committee.  He later was on the past players’ committee, including five years as president. 

Goals:              Ingersoll 4, Yeoman 3, Arthur 2, M. Young 2, Collard 2, O’Brien, Howells.

Attendance:     25,500