Ben Dixon this week becomes the 25th Hawthorn player to play 200 VFL-AFL games. The first to reach 200 was Ted Pool in his final game in 1938, while the most recent prior to Dixon was Mark Graham in 2003.
It has been a big statistical year for Dixon as he has also entered the top ten career goal-kickers for the Club.
***********
Hawthorn this Sunday will be trying to avoid losing four consecutive matches against the Bulldogs for the first time in more than 50 years.
Since Footscray beat the Hawks five times in succession from 1953 to 1955 there have been only two sequences of three defeats – one in 1997-98 (ended by a draw in 1999) and the current one.
The Hawks last win over the Bulldogs was in Round 19, 2004 under the coaching of Donald McDonald. The Bulldogs thus remain one of three AFL sides, with Adelaide and Sydney, against whom Alastair Clarkson has not recorded a win.
***********
The claims of Hawthorn’s home ground advantage at Aurora Stadium have taken a sudden battering. The Hawks finish the season with a 50% success rate in Launceston (2-2) compared to 75% at the MCG (6-2) and at Telstra Dome (3-1).
***********
The Hawks three most recent losses to the Bulldogs have been by similar margins by 22 points at Docklands in 2005 and 21 points in 2006 and by 17 points at the MCG earlier this year.
Prior to the losses in the past two seasons, the Hawks had never lost to the Bulldogs at Telstra Dome, recording wins in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004.
***********
In the next two weeks Hawthorn has the opportunity to rectify the anomaly that since the introduction of the Final Eight in 1994, Hawthorn is the only club not to have featured in the top four on the ladder at the end of the home and away season.
The next lowest is Fremantle with one appearance, followed by Collingwood, Melbourne and Richmond with two. Hawthorn did of course finish in the final four in 2001 after winning two finals.
************
Luke Hodge played his 50th consecutive game in Round 20. The most recent player to achieve the feat at Hawthorn prior to Hodge was Peter Everitt.
***********
The heartbreaking Aurora Stadium loss was Hawthorn’s 99th by six points or less, balanced by 93 wins and 9 draws.
***********
Round 21 was first contested in 1970. It has been one of the best for the club with 25 wins and only 12 defeats in the past 37 seasons. From 1982 to 1994, Hawthorn won 13 consecutive Round 21 matches. Even in recent seasons, Hawthorn has won 6 of its last 9 in the round.
***********
The highest individual goal tally kicked by a Hawthorn player against the Bulldogs is 14 by Jason Dunstall in Round 19, 1996 at Waverley. Dunstall also shares the Club’s Round 21 record. He booted nine in 1986 and 1989, as did Peter Hudson in 1970 and 1971.
***********
So far this season Hawthorn has a 6-4 record against other teams currently in the eight, while it has an inferior 6-4 record against the teams currently outside the eight.
This is a similar scenario to that in the Footy Flashbacks featured year of 1957 (see ladder below) when the club had a 5-1 record against its fellow Finalists and a 6-6 record versus the teams which did not qualify.
***********
1957 – Fifty Years On
For those looking for their weekly 1957 fix, there will be more on the 1957 finals when we get to 2007 finals time.
Here is the final ladder from the 1957 home and away season:
It has been a big statistical year for Dixon as he has also entered the top ten career goal-kickers for the Club.
***********
Hawthorn this Sunday will be trying to avoid losing four consecutive matches against the Bulldogs for the first time in more than 50 years.
Since Footscray beat the Hawks five times in succession from 1953 to 1955 there have been only two sequences of three defeats – one in 1997-98 (ended by a draw in 1999) and the current one.
The Hawks last win over the Bulldogs was in Round 19, 2004 under the coaching of Donald McDonald. The Bulldogs thus remain one of three AFL sides, with Adelaide and Sydney, against whom Alastair Clarkson has not recorded a win.
***********
The claims of Hawthorn’s home ground advantage at Aurora Stadium have taken a sudden battering. The Hawks finish the season with a 50% success rate in Launceston (2-2) compared to 75% at the MCG (6-2) and at Telstra Dome (3-1).
***********
The Hawks three most recent losses to the Bulldogs have been by similar margins by 22 points at Docklands in 2005 and 21 points in 2006 and by 17 points at the MCG earlier this year.
Prior to the losses in the past two seasons, the Hawks had never lost to the Bulldogs at Telstra Dome, recording wins in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004.
***********
In the next two weeks Hawthorn has the opportunity to rectify the anomaly that since the introduction of the Final Eight in 1994, Hawthorn is the only club not to have featured in the top four on the ladder at the end of the home and away season.
The next lowest is Fremantle with one appearance, followed by Collingwood, Melbourne and Richmond with two. Hawthorn did of course finish in the final four in 2001 after winning two finals.
************
Luke Hodge played his 50th consecutive game in Round 20. The most recent player to achieve the feat at Hawthorn prior to Hodge was Peter Everitt.
***********
The heartbreaking Aurora Stadium loss was Hawthorn’s 99th by six points or less, balanced by 93 wins and 9 draws.
***********
Round 21 was first contested in 1970. It has been one of the best for the club with 25 wins and only 12 defeats in the past 37 seasons. From 1982 to 1994, Hawthorn won 13 consecutive Round 21 matches. Even in recent seasons, Hawthorn has won 6 of its last 9 in the round.
***********
The highest individual goal tally kicked by a Hawthorn player against the Bulldogs is 14 by Jason Dunstall in Round 19, 1996 at Waverley. Dunstall also shares the Club’s Round 21 record. He booted nine in 1986 and 1989, as did Peter Hudson in 1970 and 1971.
***********
So far this season Hawthorn has a 6-4 record against other teams currently in the eight, while it has an inferior 6-4 record against the teams currently outside the eight.
This is a similar scenario to that in the Footy Flashbacks featured year of 1957 (see ladder below) when the club had a 5-1 record against its fellow Finalists and a 6-6 record versus the teams which did not qualify.
***********
1957 – Fifty Years On
For those looking for their weekly 1957 fix, there will be more on the 1957 finals when we get to 2007 finals time.
Here is the final ladder from the 1957 home and away season:
PC | Pts | |
138.8 | 50 | |
Essendon | 118.3 | 44 |
Hawthorn | 116.7 | 44 |
99.5 | 44 | |
Collingwood | 101.8 | 38 |
Footscray | 99.1 | 38 |
93.9 | 36 | |
95.1 | 32 | |
St Kilda | 94.5 | 32 |
88.8 | 28 | |
Fitzroy | 84.1 | 24 |
88.2 | 22 |
