It is ten years since a player taken as late in the National Draft as Shane Savage made his debut for Hawthorn. 

Savage, who played his first game last Friday night was taken at pick 75 in last year’s National Draft, is the latest pick to debut for Hawthorn since the players taken at picks 77 and 86 in the 1998 Draft, Adrian Cox and Kris Barlow, both debuted in Round 1, 1999.

The latest ever Hawthorn pick in the National Draft to represent the club in a Senior game was Jade Rawlings, taken at pick 94 in the 1994 Draft.  That Draft also delivered Ben Dixon with pick 77.



Another late Hawk draft pick, who like Rawlings is currently featuring in other club’s coaching news, is Brad Scott.  Like Rawlings and Dixon, Scott was originally taken (at pick 60) in the 1994 Draft, but unlike them he did not make a Senior appearance before being delisted.  However, Scott remained at the club and was then re-taken with pick 85 in the 1996 National Draft.  This second drafting places him third on the ‘late picks who made it’ list, behind Rawlings and Barlow.

Scott played all 22 games in 1997, before leaving for the Brisbane Lions the following season.  Playing every game in his only season places Scott in select Hawthorn company.  Stan McKenzie (who played all 17 games in 1925) is the only other individual to play every game in his debut League season for the club and then not to appear again.



In the 16 seasons since the introduction of the Final Eight in 1994, Hawthorn is one of only two clubs to have only featured once in the top four on the ladder at the end of the home and away season.  That solitary appearance was, of course, last season.  Hawthorn did also finish in the post-Finals top four in 2001, when a home and away 6th became a final 4th after winning two finals.

The other team with just with one home and away top four appearance since the Eight was introduced is Fremantle, while next on the list, currently with two, are Melbourne and Richmond, with Collingwood almost certainly moving up to three appearances this season. 



Ten years ago, Round 21, 1999 the second last ever Waverley Park game delivered a Saturday night classic, as Hawthorn 15.13.103 defeated Geelong 15.11.101.

The Hawks began slowly, but got back on terms in a high-scoring second term, in which the two sides booted 14 goals between them.  In contrast, the final term produced only two goals, the first ensuring that Geelong held sway for much of the quarter; the second from Aaron Lord with only his third kick of the night clinching victory for the Hawks against his former (and future) club. 

Shane Crawford became even firmer Brownlow favourite with a brilliant 28 disposal game, while Nick Holland with 5 goals also starred.  For the second week in a row Michael Collica helped save the game, this time by taking a crucial defensive mark in the dying moments. 

Hawthorn fans headed home with hopes that their team might be playing for a Finals’ spot the following week, but these hopes disappeared when Sydney beat Fremantle in Perth later in the evening.



Hawthorn and Richmond have met on 146 occasions, with the Hawks winning 64 and the Tigers 82. The deficit of 18 is attributable to the fact that Richmond won the first 21 encounters between the two clubs. Hawthorn secured its first victory at the 22nd attempt, by a thrilling two-point margin at Glenferrie in Round 16, 1936.

Older Hawks fans will remember fondly two lengthy winning sequences against Richmond, as the brown and gold strung together 10 consecutive wins from 1959 to 1964 and then bettered that with 16 in a row between 1985 and 1994. 

It is interesting the different paths the two clubs have taken since they filled the bottom two places on the ladder at the end of 2004 and appointed new coaches for 2005.  In 2005, the Tigers had wins by 14 points and 4 points and finished 12th (with 10 wins) compared to Hawthorn’s 14th (with 5 wins). 

Hawthorn then won the next three meetings – by 41 points at Aurora Stadium in 2006, by 53 points at the MCG in 2007 and by 12 points at the MCG in Round 6 last season.  The teams met again in Round 20, with Richmond scoring an upset win by 29 points, in what proved to be the last loss of Hawthorn’s season.  Hawthorn still finished behind Richmond in 2006, 11th versus 9th, but finished ahead of Richmond in 2007 and 2008.



Finishing behind Richmond on the ladder has been a rare experience for Hawthorn in the modern era.  Since Richmond completed back-to-back Premierships in 1974, the only seasons when Richmond has finished ahead of Hawthorn have been 1980, 1982, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005 and 2006.



Shane Savage is the fourth player recruited from Noble Park to represent Hawthorn.  Tom Rowe (4 games in 1942) and Bill Norman (5 games in 1950) were the first two, while the third is another current Hawk, Beau Dowler.



Round 21, which was first contested in 1970, has been one of the best rounds for Hawthorn, with 27 wins and only 12 defeats in the past 39 seasons. From 1982 to 1994, Hawthorn won 13 consecutive Round 21 matches. The Hawks have won the last three in the round beating the Kangaroos in Launceston in 2006, the Bulldogs at Docklands in 2007 and West Coast at Subiaco last season.



Hawthorn’s second highest ever score was recorded in Round 21 – 35.15.225 to Geelong’s 13.12.90, at Princes Park in 1986.  What made the score more remarkable was that Hawthorn only led by 3 points at half time, before adding 25.7 to 3.7 in the second half.



The record number of goals kicked by a Hawthorn player against Richmond was the 17 Jason Dunstall kicked 1992.  He also kicked the second highest against Richmond, a bag of 12, later in the same season.  Dunstall also shares the club’s Round 21 record. He booted nine in 1986 and 1989, as did Peter Hudson in 1970 and 1971.