When Shaun Burgoyne becomes the fifth VFL-AFL player to reach the 400-game milestone, it will make Hawthorn the first club to be involved in two such celebrations.
The other occasion was in Round 18 1990 when Michael Tuck played his 400th game.
A bumper crowd of 44,627 attended a slightly unfamiliar looking MCG, with the Southern Stand roofless in preparation for its post-season demolition, as the fifth-placed Hawks played a high-standard Friday night game against seventh-placed North Melbourne.
The Hawks led at every change before winning by 10 points - 15.18.108 to 14.14.98. Jason Dunstall booted four goals and Dermott Brereton three, while Dean Anderson’s 24 disposals saw him awarded the three Brownlow votes.
The record in 400th games is split 2-2 with Brent Harvey, like Tuck, playing in a win, but Kevin Bartlett and Dustin Fletcher both endured losses on their big days. Hopefully, Hawthorn history will repeat and Burgoyne’s 400th ends in victory on Saturday night.
A form reversal: The stats that stand out post-bye
Having missed the first seven games of the 2010 season, few could have imagined how durable Shaun Burgoyne would become. He has now played 242 games for Hawthorn, placing him 16th on the Hawthorn all-time games list. His Hawthorn record includes a sequence of 107 consecutive games from Round 19 2013 to Round 2 2018.
Hawthorn’s biggest win in its history was against Port Adelaide, by 165 points at the MCG in 2011. In contrast, five games between the Hawks and Power have been decided by six points or fewer, with Hawthorn winning three of them, all by three points – the 2001 Semi Final, the 2014 Preliminary Final and Round 11 2018. Overall, Hawthorn has won 16 and lost 20 of its 36 matches against Port.
This week’s game will be Hawthorn’s 15th home game at Docklands, with the previous 14 producing seven wins and seven losses, with one of the defeats being in a previous home game against Port Adelaide at the venue in 2015. Hawthorn has fared better in away games at Docklands winning 38, losing 26 and drawing one. Most importantly, Hawthorn has won its three Finals there, against Geelong (2000), Sydney (2001) and Adelaide (2007). This makes the complete Hawthorn record at Docklands 48 wins, 33 losses and one draw from 82 games.
Hawthorn has now used 10 new players in 2021, equalling the number from last season which, in turn, was the most since 2005. Last season, the 10 contained an even split of those making AFL debuts and those recruited from other clubs, but this year there are just two, Kyle Hartigan and Tom Phillips from other clubs and eight who have made AFL debuts.
Round 16 is Hawthorn’s most successful round, with the record of 51 wins, 44 losses and one draw, marginally ahead of Round 3 which has seen 51 wins and 46 losses.
Hawthorn won nine consecutive Round 16 matches from 1956 to 1964, a further eight from 1968 to 1975, and six from 1989 to 1994. There have been Round 16 victories for the Hawks in nine of the last 12 seasons, plus a draw with GWS in 2017. In Round 16 2019, the Hawthorn defeated Collingwood by four points at the MCG, but last season the Hawks lost to St Kilda at Metricon Stadium.
10 years ago, in Round 16 2011, Hawthorn comfortably accounted for Brisbane Lions in Launceston, winning by 42 points – 16.9.105 to 9.9.63. Sam Mitchell, Josh Gibson, Luke Hodge, Lance Franklin and Xavier Ellis were among the best players.
20 years ago, in Round 16 2001, an MCG crowd of 52,381 saw Hawthorn thrash Collingwood by 55 points – 21.18.144 to 14.5.89. The Hawks only led by four points at half-time but a 9.5 to 1.2 third quarter was decisive. Kris Barlow kicked a career-high five goals, with Ben Dixon also booting five and John Barker four. Shane Crawford and Daniel Chick headed a long list of best players.
30 years ago, in Round 16 1991, Hawthorn staged a massive turnaround from its 86-point Round 1 thrashing by Adelaide, beating the Crows by 63 points at Waverley. The game was effectively over as a contest at quarter-time with the score 8.11 to 0.1, with the Hawks eventually winning 23.20.158 to 14.11.95. The three Brownlow votes went to a 38-year-old playing his 417th game – Michael Tuck. He had 21 kicks, seven handballs, eight marks and three tackles.
50 years ago, in Round 16 1971, the Hawks managed to restrict South Melbourne to a score of just 3.15.33 on their own home ground, the Lakeside Oval. Hawthorn won by 49 points kicking 11.16.82 the goals coming from Peter Hudson with six, which took him to 97 for the season, Peter Crimmins and Bruce Stevenson with two each, and a single major from Bob Keddie.
60 years ago, in Round 16, 1961, Hawthorn faced an Essendon team that needed a win to retain a chance of making the Four. The Hawks found themselves in the unusual position of being favourites in a game at Windy Hill, a venue at which they had won just five times in thirty previous attempts. The Hawks did their best work early and then had to withstand a gradual Essendon comeback before prevailing, 11.13.79 to 10.12.72. Ian Law and John Peck each kicked three goals.
Peter Hudson, Jason Dunstall and Dermott Brereton share the Round 16 Hawthorn individual goal-kicking record with 11 goals. Hudson kicked 11 in 1970, equalled by Dunstall in 1989 and Brereton in 1990. Lance Franklin’s eight goals at the MCG in 2011 is the highest tally by a Hawthorn player against Port Adelaide.
