2021 is the seventh season in the Clarkson era where the Hawks have begun the season with a Round 1 victory, followed by a Round 2 defeat.

In five of the six previous cases (2006, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2020), Hawthorn then proceeded to win in Round 3, a trend which hopefully will continue against Geelong on Monday.

Hawthorn has won three of its last five games versus Geelong. The Hawks recorded a memorable one-point win against the Cats on Easter Monday 2018 and completed the double that season with an 11-point victory in Round 21.

In 2019, having lost on Easter Monday, the Hawks bounced back with a 24-point win in Round 18. That 2019 win was highlighted by a brilliant best-on-ground performance by Liam Shiels in his 200^th game. The loss at Kardinia Park last season means that overall Hawthorn trails Geelong 75 to 91 in the head-to-head, with one draw.

One difference this year is that for the first time, an MCG Easter Monday clash with Geelong will be in Round 3. Previously, the games have been in Rounds 1 and 2 three times each, in Round 4 once and in Round 5 twice. In 2011, Easter was so late that Easter Monday coincided with Anzac Day  and the Hawthorn-Geelong game was thus played on Tuesday.

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Sad news last week with the passing of 1961 Premiership Hawk Reg Poole.

Poole was a 19-year-old first-season back pocket in Hawthorn’s first Premiership team. He made his Senior debut in the Round 8 Queen’s Birthday Monday clash with Footscray at the Western Oval. Hawthorn lost by 12 points to take the team’s record to four wins and four losses after eight rounds. Poole retained his place for the remaining 10 home and away games and then two Finals. All 12 matches resulted in wins, meaning he played in a Premiership in his 13^th game.

Isaac Smith has become the first Hawthorn player to move to Geelong since David Loats in 2004. Loats had made 11 appearances for Hawthorn in 2002-03, and then played one game for the Cats in 2004. In the intervening 16 years, players have moved from Hawthorn to all other opposing clubs.

Richmond now becomes the club to which a Hawthorn player has moved the least recently. The Tigers last had a Hawk join in 2005 when Mark Graham headed there for his final AFL season, after 223 games in the brown and gold.

Smith is only the second Hawthorn Premiership player to move to Geelong, the one previous example being 1976 Premiership Hawk Kelvin Matthews, who transferred to Geelong in 1978. The only club which has never had a former Hawthorn Premiership player take the field for it is North Melbourne.

Hawthorn’s score of 7.7.49 last Sunday was its lowest against Richmond since Round 3 1995 when, on a wet day at Waverley, the Hawks could only manage 5.4.34. The 26-year gap between scores under 50 had been the second longest current sequence against any other club. The longest current sequence is against Carlton where the last Hawthorn score below 50 was 7.6.48 way back in Round 14 1977.

Round 3 has historically been one of Hawthorn’s best rounds, with 51 victories and 45 losses from 96 matches. The Hawks had a remarkable Round 3 record between 1971 and 1992, winning 19 and losing just three.

Hawthorn has also done well in Round 3 in the Clarkson era, winning 12 of 16, including six in a row from 2011 to 2016. After losses to Gold Coast (2017) and Richmond (2018), the Hawks bounced back to the Round 3 winners list versus North Melbourne in 2019 and Richmond last season.

10 years ago, in Round 3 2011, Hawthorn thrashed Richmond by 63 points at the MCG – 17.13.115 to 6.16.52, setting up the win with a 7.1 to 1.3 opening term. Lance Franklin with five goals and Jordan Lewis with 32 disposals were the stars for the Hawks.

20 years ago, in Round 3 2001, the Hawks made it three wins in a row with a 23-point win against Fremantle at Subiaco. Hawthorn 11.16.82 to 8.11.59. Shane Crawford was back to his brilliant form of 1999, with a 31-disposal, three Brownlow votes, performance.

30 years ago, in Round 3 1991, Hawthorn comfortably accounted for Richmond at Waverley – 20.16.136 to 11.13.79. The star forwards were all in form with Jason Dunstall kicking six goals, Paul Hudson five and star recruit, Darren Jarman, four. Anthony Condon was the pick of a dominant midfield group

50 years ago, in Round 3 1971, the Hawks had to come from behind to win a high-scoring encounter with Geelong at Glenferrie by eight points – 16.19.115 to 16.11.107. The Hawks’ 18-year-old centre half-forward, Alan Martello, was best-on-ground. The next two in the best were 19-year-olds, Leigh Matthews and Peter Knights, which meant that remarkably the Hawks best three were all teenagers.

60 years ago, in Round 3 1961, Hawthorn defeated 1960 Preliminary Finalist Fitzroy by 26 points – 13.17.95 to 10.9.1969. Half-forward Morton Browne (five goals) and rover Ian Law (four goals) competed for the title of best-on-ground.

70 years ago, in Round 3 1951, John Kennedy Snr played in his first Hawthorn win having played in 20 losing teams. Hawthorn’s last win had come in Round 16 1949 and the Hawthorn supporters in the crowd of 10,000 at Glenferrie were very happy with the 1215.87 to 9.10.64 victory. The 22-game losing sequence was the second worst in Hawthorn history, behind the losing streak of 27 in 1927-29. Fortunately, there has been no repeat in the past 70 years, with the longest losing sequences in that time being 12 in 1997-98 and 10 in 2004.

The individual goalkicking record for a Hawthorn player versus Geelong is 12 by Jason Dunstall in 1990 and 1992.

The individual goalkicking record for Hawthorn in Round 3 is 11 kicked by Leigh Matthews versus Essendon at Waverley in 1973. Michael Moncrieff had a liking for Round 3, kicking 10 in 1974 versus South Melbourne and again in 1976 against Collingwood.