This figure becomes more striking when compared to the fact that Geelong had 18 of their 2007 Premiership team also appear in its 2009 Premiership team.
Hawthorn had the season-high16 Premiership players in just three games, wins against Sydney and North Melbourne in Rounds 11 and 15, and the loss to Brisbane Lions in Round 12. The least number of Premiership players in the team was 11 in Round 22.
Hawthorn had five home and away attendances over 60,000 in the 2009 season, smashing the previous record of two set in 2008. In the 83 seasons from 1925 to 2007, Hawthorn had six home and away attendances over 60,000. In the past two seasons, the number has more than doubled to 13.
The attendance of 77,278 at the Round 22 game against Essendon was the third largest home and away crowd in Hawthorn history, only exceeded by the 92,935 who watched the Hawks play Collingwood at Waverley in 1981 and the 86,179 against Geelong in 2008.
2009 saw ANZ Stadium in Sydney became the 28th venue at which that Hawthorn has played.
In losing to Sydney there in Round 2, the Hawks maintained their poor record in debut appearances at venues. Hawthorn have won their opening games at just five of the 28 venues, the wins coming at the SCG (1979), Carrara (1987), North Hobart (1991), Docklands (2000) and Aurora Stadium (2001).
Getting drawn to play at ANZ Stadium was a long time coming for Hawthorn. AFL football was first played there in the 2002 season and, prior to the Hawks, 11 other clubs had been given the opportunity to take on Sydney there. The remaining clubs yet to appear at the main stadium for the 2000 Olympics are Adelaide, Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs.
Alistair Clarkson became the fifth man to coach Hawthorn in 100 games when he was in charge against Essendon in Round 7. Later in the season, he moved to outright fourth on the Hawthorn games coached list (when he passed Peter Schwab’s 109 games), leaving only John Kennedy Snr. (299), Allan Jeans (221) and Jack Hale (146) ahead of him. He finished the season on 115 games.
Lance Franklin became ninth player in Hawthorn history to reach 300 career goals when he brought up his 300th goal in his 101st game against Adelaide in Round 20.
Only the club’s two great full-forwards Peter Hudson and Jason Dunstall reached 300 quicker, and they remain the only players to kick more than 300 in their first 100 games. Hudson’s 100th game was the 1971 Second Semi Final, in which his 7 goals took his career tally to 595, while Dunstall’s 100th was in Round 15, 1989, by which stage of his career he had kicked 419 goals.
The next player behind Franklin on the list of Hawks with most goals in their first 100 games is the underrated Michael Moncrieff, who had kicked 286 goals by the end of his 100th game in Round 20, 1976.
Jason Dunstall’s club record of scoring in 72 consecutive games remained intact after Lance Franklin’s run ended at 71 when he failed to kick a goal against the Bulldogs in Round 14. Franklin’s run stretched from Round 12, 2006 to Round 13, 2009, a period in which he played 71 of a possible 73 games. His second goalless game for the 2009 season came in Round 19 against St Kilda.
With Dunstall (72), Franklin (71) and Peter Hudson (61), Hawthorn has recorded three of the 16 instances of a player scoring in 60 or more consecutive games in VFL-AFL history. Collingwood have done even better with three players in the top four of the 16 with McKenna (120), G. Coventry (98) and Lee (97).
2009 was the second biggest slide on the ladder in the club’s history. In terms of ladder position it equalled 1962 when the Hawks, after their first Flag in 1961, also finished 9th. However, obviously 9th of 12 is worse than 9th of 16. Also in term of wins the 2009 team’s 9 from 22, outperformed 1962’s 5 from 18. The third worst post-Premiership season was 1979 when the team finished 7th with 10 wins.
Hawthorn’s half time score of 0.4.4 against the Bulldogs in Round 14 equalled the club’s previous record low against recorded against Collingwood in 1950. It was the first time Hawthorn had recorded a goalless first half since Round 7 1979, when the Hawks were 0.14.14 at half time, against Fitzroy at the Junction Oval.
Jarryd Roughead has become the 20th Hawthorn player to kick 8 or more goals in a game, when he kicked 8 against Carlton in Round 6. He joined teammates Mark Williams and Lance Franklin in that category. The first Hawthorn player to kick 8 in a game was Jack Green in Round 5, 1934, a game which saw the Mayblooms lose by 52 points to reigning Premiers, South Melbourne.
When Beau Muston made an outstanding debut against Melbourne in Round 9, he became just the third player to make his debut for Hawthorn in his fourth season after being drafted. Muston, who was taken at pick 22 in the 2005 National Draft, joined Matthew Young (1994) and David Loats (2002) in the delayed debutants club.
The seven debutants Hawthorn played in 2009 was the most in a post-Premiership season at the club since 1972. Let’s hope some of the 2009 crop can match the achievements of the 1972 debutants, which included four future premiership players - Michael Tuck, John Hendrie, Kelvin Matthews and Alan Goad.
The 38 players Hawthorn has used in 2009 was the equal most the club has needed in the past three decades. The club also used 38 in 2005 and 2006, but one has to go back to the 39 used in 1980 to find a higher figure.
Sam Mitchell and Chance Bateman were the only players to appear in every game in 2009. The most recent occasions when there were just two ever-presents was 2005 when only Peter Everitt and Richie Vandenberg played every game. There have been six seasons when Hawthorn had just one ever-present, the most recent being 1995.
Sam Mitchell and Brad Sewell’s tie with 13 votes for leading Hawthorn vote-getter in the Brownlow for 2009 is just the fourth in the past sixty years. Neil Pearson and Ted Fletcher tied with 8 votes in 1953, Leigh Matthews and Terry Wallace with 17 in 1982 while, in 2004, Peter Everitt and Richie Vandenberg both recorded 6 votes.
Mitchell’s 13 votes took his career tally to 83, comfortably in the Hawthorn all time top ten. Sewell’s 13 took him to 38, third of the current playing list, behind Mitchell and Luke Hodge (53).
In Round 17 against Geelong Sam Mitchell became the 50th individual to play 150 games for the club. Four rounds later, Luke Hodge became the 51st.
The one point loss to Geelong in Round 17 was Hawthorn 100th by six points or fewer. This is balanced against 97 wins by six points or fewer. The Hawks 99th such loss had come in Round 20, 2007, since which there had been three narrow wins against Adelaide in both 2007 and 2008, and Carlton earlier in 2009.
In games decided by one point, Hawthorn has a negative record - 12 wins and 21 losses. Hawthorn’s most recent one point defeat, prior to Geelong in Round 17 was versus Sydney at the SCG in 2004. The Hawks most recent one point win came against Essendon in Round 5, 2006 when Mark Williams (who will play for Essendon in 2010) kicked the winning goal.
At the end of 2009, Hawthorn has played 1757 VFL-AFL matches, for 819 wins, 929 defeats and 9 draws. A total of 860 players have represented the club in those games.
If you are not a Friend of the Hawks Museum make sure you join soon so that you get an invite to the annual Friends function on Sunday, 15 November, which will feature “The Perfect Hawthorn Grand Final”, made up of quarters from four different Premiership wins. Highlights will be shown on the big screen and there will be interviews with key players. Join at the Hawks Museum or ring 9535 3075 or email hawksmuseum@hawthornfc.com.au
