Recently, members of Hawthorn Football Club that had passed significant membership milestones (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 consecutive years) were sent a certificate personally signed by Hawthorn's President Jeff Kennett and CEO Stuart Fox.
They were also invited to submit their most memorable moment as a Hawthorn member. 10-year member Tom Hurworth shares his most memorable moments with hawthornfc.com.au.
I have many fond memories of being a Hawthorn member, but I've narrowed it down to a select few that make me proud to be a Hawk.
One particular memory that stands out was in 1999, witnessing the (then) biggest come-back in VFL/AFL history when the Hawks beat the Saints at Waverley Park.
We were 63 points down at half time, but for some reason I still felt we were in the game.
The tension between the two groups of supporters was palpable!
At the end of the third quarter, the game had changed significantly, with the Hawks unbelievably winning.
Seeing the players link arms and walk off the ground singing the song after the win was something I’ll never forget.
It showed me that the Hawks really are united.
It also set the tone for the rest of the season - the Hawks only just missed the finals and Shane Crawford went on to win the Brownlow.
Another touching moment was in 2001 when Ben Dixon kicked the winning goal after the siren against Carlton in an emotional blockbuster.
What made this victory special was that on this particular day, the Hawks' coach Peter Schwab was ill and unable to attend the game.
To see the boys win in for their coach in this manner was inspiring.
I don’t recall physically seeing the ball go through the goal, but I do remember embracing strangers with joy and happiness for the Club; we were all cheering and chanting together.
The song was sung with such gusto by our supporters after the game.
My final fond memory is watching the Hawks beat the Lions at the Gabba in 2008, the great premiership year.
We hadn’t beaten the Lions in Brisbane for eight years, and to be there when the players came over to celebrate their win in the members' area was brilliant.
Hopefully there will be many more fond memories to come for the Hawks.
Go Hawks!
Tom Hurworth
10 year member
