TIO Stadium in Darwin will this week become the 33rd venue at which Hawthorn has played a VFL/AFL game.
The Hawks will be hoping to build on their recent first-game wins at Optus Stadium in 2018 and Manuka in 2019 but, overall, have won just seven times in their previous 32 first games at grounds.
Hawthorn got off to a bad start, losing at all 12 original grounds in 1925-26, and then suffering debut defeats at its next six new venues between 1941 and 1970. Hawthorn finally won a venue debut game at the 19th attempt at the SCG in 1979 and since then the Hawks have won first-up at Carrara, North Hobart, Docklands, York Park, Optus Stadium and Manuka.
Big margins have also often been associated with these games with the Hawks winning by 157 points (North Hobart), 95 (Carrara), 59 (at both Docklands and Optus Stadium), 56 (Manuka) and 51 (SCG), but losing by 143 points at the MCG in 1926 and 86 points at Football Park in 1991.
VFL player by player R6: Sam assesses the boys' performances
Taking the field in the Northern Territory this week will mean that Hawthorn has played a VFL/AFL game in every Australian state and territory. In an odd quirk, the first game in each jurisdiction was played in an odd numbered year, beginning with Victoria (1925) and followed by NSW (1979), Queensland (1981), WA (1987), SA (1991), Tasmania (1991), ACT (2019) and NT (2021).
On his debut last Saturday, Ned Reeves became the tallest player in Hawthorn history. Reeves is 208cm, 2cm taller than the previous record holders, Max Bailey and Luke Lowden, who were both 206cm. Bailey had taken the mantle of tallest player from Paul Salmon, who was 205cm.
Prior to Salmon’s debut in Round 4 1996, the record for tallest Hawthorn player had been held for 66 years by the 203cm Len ‘Tiny’ Mills. Mills starred on debut in Round 1 1930 against his former club St Kilda and kicked an impressive 17 goals in his eight Hawthorn games.
Mills was a remarkable 15 cm taller than the previous tallest Hawthorn players, who were six individuals between 1925 and 1929 who measured 188cm, or 6 feet 2 inches in the measurement of the time. One of those was Clem Splatt who played in Hawthorn’s first League game in Round 1 1925.
Hawthorn won its first eight games against Gold Coast, which was a better starting record than against any other club. The run ended in 2017, when the Hawks lost to the Suns by 86 points at Carrara in Round 3 and then suffered another defeat by 16 points at the MCG in Round 12 of the same season. Hawthorn has bounced back to win the next three against the Suns to leave the overall record between the clubs at 11-2 in Hawthorn’s favour.
This will be the first season when Hawthorn has not had a home game against the Suns, having played them five times in Launceston, three times at the MCG, and once each at Docklands and the Adelaide Oval. In contrast, the Hawks have only had three games against the Suns at their Carrara home - in 2011, 2014 and 2017.
Last week, Hawthorn had just two premiership players in the team against Carlton – Luke Breust and Ben McEvoy, the fewest since before the 2008 Grand Final. However, there were a further six Hawthorn premiership players appearing for other teams last weekend – Grant Birchall, Taylor Duryea, Lance Franklin, James Frawley, Bradley Hill and Isaac Smith.
Hawthorn’s most recent Round 11 win was in 2018, a three-point success against Port Adelaide in Launceston. Overall Round 11 remains one of Hawthorn’s less successful rounds, with 38 wins, two draws and 54 defeats.
10 years ago, in Round 10 2011, Hawthorn trailed Fremantle by 26 points at the three-minute mark of the final quarter of their MCG clash. From that moment on, the Hawks added 8.1 to 0.1 to win by 22 points – 17.9.111 to 13.11.89. Luke Breust came on as the sub and kicked three crucial goals, while Cyril Rioli (five goals), Sam Mitchell and Grant Birchall were all outstanding.
40 years ago, in Round 11 1981, Hawthorn played in front of what remains the biggest crowd to watch any of the club’s home and away games. An incredible 92,935 packed Waverley to see Hawthorn easily account for Collingwood -18.19.127 to 12.9.81. Alan Goad kicked five goals and Leigh Matthews booted four.
Round 11 1971 saw Hawthorn play in a top-of-the-ladder clash against Melbourne at the MCG in front of a crowd of 52,256. The Hawks set up victory with a brilliant 7.1 to 1.5 opening quarter, before finally winning by 20 points – 14.10.94 to 10.14.74.
60 years ago, in Round 11 1961, Hawthorn handed out a 54-point thrashing to Collingwood -13.12.90 to 4.12.36. John McArthur played the best game of his career as an unpassable centre half-back, while John Peck starred up forward with seven goals,
70 years ago, in Round 11 1951, Hawthorn recorded consecutive victories for the first time in almost three years, with a 34-point victory over Melbourne at Glenferrie backing up the previous week’s one-point triumph at Fitzroy. Pat Cash kicked five goals for the Hawks.
Jarryd Roughead’s six goals against Gold Coast in his final game in 2019 is the record for Hawthorn against the Suns, surpassing the bags of five kicked by Luke Breust (2011), Lance Franklin (2013) and Jack Gunston (2014 and 2017).
The Round 11 individual goal-kicking record is held by Peter Hudson with his 13 goals against South Melbourne at Glenferrie in 1969.
