Ironically, one of the worst events in these games was not a defeat, but one of the most famous injuries in the club’s history.
Easter Saturday, 1 April, 1972 saw the Hawks taking on Melbourne at Glenferrie to commence the new season. Following the unfurling of the 1971 Flag, the Hawks took immediate control of the game with a 4 goal to one opening term and extended the lead in the second quarter.
Star full-forward, Peter Hudson, was in tremendous form and shortly before half-time he had 8 of the team’s 9 goals. Then disaster struck. Hudson went down with a knee injury.
The Hawks still recorded a comfortable 29 point win – 15.14.104 to 10.15.75, with the goals being scored by Hudson 8, Bob Keddie and Leigh Matthews 2 apiece, and singles to Alan Martello, Leon Rice and debutant, John Hendrie.
However, realistically the chances of defending the Premiership ended that day. Not that Hawthorn fans knew it at the time, because it was thought that Hudson might only be out for a few weeks, but attempts to return saw him break down at training. Having not missed a game through injury since his 1967 debut, Hudson did not return until Round 21, 1973 and then after two games in 1974, did not play for Hawthorn again until 1977.
In Hudson’s absence in 1972, the Hawks tried various players at full forward and the leading goal-kicker ended up being Peter Knights who, shifted from the backline, finished with 46 goals. The 1972 Hawks failed to make the Finals, a Round 22 defeat by St Kilda consigning them to 6th place.
In years after Premierships Hawthorn has finished first (once), second (twice), third (once), fifth (once), sixth (twice), seventh (once) and ninth (once).
This is the fifth of the club’s ten Premierships when the Hawks have been drawn to play their Grand Final opponent in the following season’s Round 1.
None of the four previous re-matches have been close. Footscray and North Melbourne, in 1962 and 1977, got some measure of revenge for their Grand Final defeats with 33 and 60 point wins respectively, while Hawthorn inflicted further pain on Carlton in Round 1, 1987 with a 45 point win, and in 1990 the Hawks handed out a 115 point thrashing to Geelong.
Shane Crawford has joined the list of players to finish his Hawthorn career in a winning Grand Final team. Earlier examples were Ian Bremner and Brian Douge (1976), Terry Wallace (1986), Russell Greene (1988) and Michael Tuck (1991). There were also temporary retirements from Brendan Edwards and Reg Poole, 1961 Premiership players who both missed the whole 1962 season, before returning in 1963, and Chris Mew, who missed half of the 1990 season.
Thus far, there have been five players who have made their Hawthorn debuts in Round 1 in the season after winning a Premiership - John Hendrie (1972), Russell Morris (1984), Stephen Allender (1984), Tony Symonds (1987) and Jason Taylor (1992).
The least number of changes between a Premiership team and the following Round 1 was two between the 1986 Grand Final and Round 1, 1987. The greatest number is five on a number of occasions.
2009 will be just the second occasion when Hawthorn has commenced its season on a Friday night. The previous instance was in 1991. Hopefully, it will be a better result for on that occasion the Hawks travelled to Adelaide to meet the Crows in their first game in the AFL and were beaten by 86 points – 9.15.69 to 24.11.155.
Hawthorn needs to beat Geelong this week to avoid suffering the club’s 50th Round 1 defeat. The current 49 defeats are balanced against 35 wins. In the past six seasons results have alternated – losses in 2003, 2005 and 2007, balanced by wins in 2004, 2006 and 2008.
If Hawthorn achieves back-to-back Round 1 wins it will be for the first time since a run of six consecutively from 1992 to 1997.
Hawthorn and Geelong have played each other 141 times, with Geelong holding a six win lead in the head-to-head 73 to 67 (with one draw). The Hawks have won 4 of the last 5 meetings, both games in 2006, the only clash in 2007, and last season’s Grand Final, while Geelong’s only success was by 11 points in Round 17 last season.
The Hawks and Cats have met in Round 1 on six occasions, with the Hawks suffering heavy defeats in 1947, 1950 and 1953, a narrow loss in 1970, and recording wins in 1990 and 1992.
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.
The individual goal-kicking records for Round 1 and against Geelong are identical - Jason Dunstall who kicked 12 in Round 1 of both 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), while the only other double figure against Geelong was by Wally Culpitt in 1944.
