Hawthorn has secured a top four finish in a home and away season for the first time since the Final Eight was introduced in 1994.

Hawthorn most recently finished in the home and away top four in 1993, the last year of the Final Six, when a 4th placed finish was followed by an Elimination Final loss to Adelaide and 6th place after the Finals.  Of course, Hawthorn did finish in the post-finals top four in 2001, when a home and away 6th became a final 4th after winning two finals.

In the past 14 seasons, Hawthorn had actually been the only club not to have featured in the top four on the ladder at the end of the home and away season.  The Hawks now join Fremantle with one top four appearance since the Eight was introduced.  Next on the list come Collingwood, Melbourne and Richmond with two top four appearances each.



Restricting Brisbane Lions to a score of 5.11.41 last Saturday, brought back memories of Brisbane’s early VFL-history.  Brisbane’s first three away games against Hawthorn produced remarkably low scores.  In 1988, it was 2.5.17 (the lowest score to which the Hawks have ever kept any opponent), in 1989 it was 4.11.35 and, in 1990, 5.8.38.  So, in three games their combined score was 11.24.90.  Unsurprisingly, the Hawks won the three games by 63, 71 and 82 points, the 1989 game being played at Waverley, with the other two being at Princes Park.

Saturday was the 101st time Hawthorn has kept an opponent to a score of 50 points or lower, the hundred having been brought up in Round 1 when Melbourne kicked 6.14.50.



The Hawks current tally of 15 wins so far in 2008 is the highest number Hawthorn has recorded in a home and away season since the most recent premiership season, 1991, when the team won 16 games.  Since then, the best efforts were 14 in 1992 and 13 in 1993 (a 20 game season), 1994, 2001 and 2007.



The most recent Round 20 meeting between Hawthorn and Richmond was a horror one for the Hawks.  Having scored an upset win over Collingwood in Round 19, 2002 the 9th placed Hawthorn needed to beat 14th placed Richmond to maintain their push for the Eight.

The Hawks began well enough leading by 15 points late in first quarter, but then added only 1.10 to Richmond’s 8.9 in the middle two quarters.  Trailing by 33 points at the final change, Hawthorn suddenly found form and charged back to within three points, before Richmond steadied to win 16.11.107 to 13.15.93.  The best for the Hawks were Nathan Thompson, Simon Cox, Angelo Lekkas and Rayden Tallis.

Five members of the Round 20, 2002 team are still appearing for the Hawks – Shane Crawford, Luke Hodge, Campbell Brown, Chance Bateman and Sam Mitchell.



Hawthorn and Richmond have met on 145 occasions, with the Hawks winning 64 and the Tigers 81. The deficit of 17 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.

Hawk 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 has won the past 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 this season.  Hawthorn still finished behind Richmond in 2006, 11th versus 9th, but went ahead last season finishing 6th as opposed to Richmond’s 16th.



After 19 rounds last season Hawthorn had a 6-3 record against the other teams then in the Eight, and an inferior 6-4 record against the teams then outside the Eight.  This season the Hawks have been much more consistent with a 9-0 record against the teams currently outside the Eight and a 6-4 record against teams currently in the Eight.

 There was a Round 20 played in 1945 and there has been one every year since 1968. In 1945, 1968 and 1969 it was the final round of the home and away season. Overall in Round 20, Hawthorn has won 23 and lost 18.  The Hawks had Round 20 wins in both 2005 and 2006, both against Essendon, but in this round last season the team lost to Port Adelaide by 5 points in Launceston.



 The record number of goals kicked in a game by a Hawthorn player was the 17 Jason Dunstall kicked against Richmond in 1992.  He also kicked the second highest against Richmond, a bag of 12, later in the same season.  That season also saw Dunstall kick the Round 20 Hawthorn record, 12 against Essendon.  Other 10 goal Round 20 hauls were Dunstall’s 11 versus Collingwood in 1990 and Michael Moncrieff’s 10 against Essendon in 1972.



And finally, we acknowledge the passing of one of the club’s greats, Roy Simmonds.  Simmonds passed away on Saturday after a long illness.

Simmonds joined Hawthorn in 1950, a season when the club did not win a game, and he was a key contributor in taking the Hawks from there to its first ever Finals’ appearance seven years later.  On the morning of the club’s first final, the 1957 First Semi, The Sun provided a wonderful summary of Simmonds saying that “no team has ever had a player with stronger team spirit and such infectious enthusiasm”.

Ream more on Roy Simmonds and listen to long-time friend John O’Mahoney reflect on Roy for HawksRadio.