In its first Final against Fremantle, Hawthorn will be hoping to further improve on an already impressive 9-4 record in first meetings against other clubs in Finals. 

Hawthorn won its first Finals against Carlton (1957), Footscray (1961), St Kilda (1971), Collingwood (1974), Fitzroy (1983), Essendon (1983), Sydney (1987), West Coast (1991) and Port Adelaide (2001). 

The only opponents against which Hawthorn lost its first Final have been Melbourne (1957), Geelong (1963), North Melbourne (1974) and Adelaide (1993).

Hawthorn has never played a final against Brisbane or Richmond.  The latter is particularly surprising as the two clubs have appeared in the same finals series on six occasions.



Hawthorn’s aggregate attendance for the 2010 home and away season was the highest in the Club’s history. 

The total of 922,136 (average 41,915) broke the previous record of 910,697 (average 41,395) set in 2008.  It was achieved through strong attendances in away games, as the home aggregate was lower than in either 2008 or 2009.

Last Saturday’s crowd of 76,218 was the fourth biggest ever to watch Hawthorn in a home and away game, only exceeded by the 92,935 (v Collingwood at Waverley in 1981), 86,179 (v Geelong in 2008) and 77,278 (v Essendon in 2009).  

Prior to 2008, Hawthorn had only had six home and away attendances above 60,000 - there have been a further 12 in the past three seasons (two in 2008 and five in each of the past two seasons)!



Hawthorn has won its last nine home games of 2010 (six at the MCG and three at Aurora Stadium).  The last time the Hawks won this many consecutive home games was in 1987-89 when they won 21 consecutive home games (defined as any game when first named team).  The downside for Hawthorn in 2010 was an away record of three wins, one draw and seven losses.



Last Saturday's three point win against Collingwood was the 100th occasion when Hawthorn has won a game by six points or fewer, a figure balanced against 101 defeats in the same category.

Hawthorn has now had six games decided by six points or fewer in 2010 (four wins, one draw and one loss), only one behind the Club record of seven (four wins, one draw and two losses) set in 1999.  There have been four other seasons when there were six - 1931, 1954, 1959 and 2001.



Hawthorn has finished on 50 premiership points (12 wins and a draw) for the first time.  Previously, the club had 11 wins and a draw in 1996 and 13 wins and a draw in 1963 (in an 18 game season).

Hawthorn has finished in seventh position on the ladder at the end of the home and away season for just the fifth time in the Club’s history.  The previous occasions were 1956, 1959, 1973 and 1979.  In one other season, 1994, Hawthorn slipped to seventh from sixth after losing its only Final in extra time.



Hawthorn has played four previous finals interstate - against West Coast at Subiaco in 1991 and 1992, against Sydney at the SCG in 1996 and against Port Adelaide at Football Park in 2001.

The game against West Coast in 1991 was the first ever final played outside Victoria and the Eagles who had finished on top with a 19-3 record were hot favourites against a Hawthorn team that had recovered from a slow start to clinch second with a 16-6 record. 

It was the first year of the Final Six and the Qualifying Final winner would go into the Second Semi against the winner of third versus fourth, while the loser would play a First Semi against the winner of fifth versus sixth.

It was a showery day and things were not looking good for the Hawks when they conceded the first two goals and then lost Dermott Brereton to injury.  However, Hawthorn gradually gained a slight ascendancy leading by 11 points at half time and nine points at the final change.  A telling moment came part way through the third term when for the first time the chant from the small band of Hawks’ fans at the back of the stand went unanswered from the Eagles’ hordes.

The game remained in the balance until late in the final term when the Hawks kicked away to win by 23 points - 18.16.124 to 15.11.101.  The home fans were stunned; many long-term Hawthorn fans regarded it as one of the Club’s greatest ever wins.

Stephen Lawrence was clearly BOG, not just dominating the ruck contests with 30 hit-outs, but also amassing a staggering 30 disposals, 14 marks and a crucial long goal.  Several of the midfielders were also highly effective including Darrin Pritchard (27 disposals), Ben Allan (26), Anthony Condon (26), Andrew Gowers (24) and John Platten (23), while Paul Dear was outstanding in filling Brereton’s shoes.



Hawthorn has made the Finals for the 28th time in its 86 VFL/AFL seasons.  The strike rate is much better when one regards as the 28th appearance in the 54 seasons from the first appearance in 1957.  The Hawks have played 65 finals, winning 41 and losing 24, a commendable 63 per cent success rate.

It will be the tenth occasion that Hawthorn has begun a finals’ campaign in a knockout final.  Remarkably, after their debut Finals appearance in the 1957 First Semi Final, the Hawks went another 33 years and 17 Finals series before again facing opening week elimination - in the 1990 Elimination Final. 

Since then the trend has been reversed, with 1991 and 2008 the only years when Hawthorn secured a double chance.  1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996 quickly joined 1990 as seasons when the Hawks fell at the first hurdle, but then the negative trend has been reversed by Elimination Final wins in 2000, 2001 and 2007.



10 years ago, the eighth placed Hawks played fifth placed Geelong in a Friday night Elimination Final, the first ever final at Docklands.   It was also the first year of the revised version of the eight.  Under the previous model used from 1994 to 1999 (and still used by the NRL) the eight placed Hawks would have played top team Essendon, which had only lost once for the whole season.

A crowd of 44,709 saw Hawthorn win - 14.8.92 to 12.11. 83 - in a game where the scores were close all night. The biggest margins of the night were when Geelong led by 15 points in the opening term and Hawthorn by 17 in the second quarter. 

John Barker kicked four goals (including the sealer), while Tony Woods was the leading possession-getter with 29.  Others in the best players were Nathan Thompson (who had to do the majority of the ruck work in the second half after Salmon was injured), Shane Crawford, Daniel Chick, Rayden Tallis and Luke McCabe.  One of the highlights of the game was a spectacular goal kicked by Glen Bowyer in the second quarter.

No members of that Hawthorn team are still playing in the AFL.  In contrast, four members of the Geelong team are still in the Cats team - Chapman, Milburn, Scarlett and Wojinski.



Hawthorn and Fremantle have met 22 times since the Dockers joined the competition in 1995, with the Hawks holding a 16 to six advantage.  Hawthorn has won the past three encounters, at Subiaco in 2008 and 2009, and at Aurora Stadium two weeks ago.



The most goals by a Hawthorn player against Fremantle are the eight by Mark Williams in Round 1 2006, in Launceston.  The best by a Hawthorn player in an early Final is the eight by Michael Moncrieff in the 1978 Qualifying Final versus Collingwood, a feat matched by Lance Franklin’s eight against the Western Bulldogs in 2008.