This Friday night Hawthorn plays its 50th game at Docklands.

The Hawks have a narrow positive record at the ground with 25 wins and 24 losses, but importantly have won the three Finals they have played at the ground versus Geelong (2000), Sydney (2001) and Adelaide (2007).



Lance Franklin probably produced the two most memorable Hawthorn moments at Docklands.  He kicked a goal seconds before the final siren giving the Hawks victory against Adelaide in the 2007 Elimination Final and kicked his 100th goal for the season against Carlton in Round 22, 2008.

Hawthorn’s highest score at the ground was 27.18.180 recorded against Carlton in Round 12 2007, a game which also produced the Club’s greatest winning margin at the venue, 100 points.

Low moments at Docklands include surrendering a 29 point half-time lead to lose to previously winless Fremantle in Round 18, 2001 and the goal-less first half against the Western Bulldogs in Round 14, 2009.
 


The Hawks first played at Docklands just over ten years ago, in Round 12 2000, recording an emphatic 59 point victory over Fremantle in front of a crowd of 16,004.  Shane Crawford, Nick Holland and Nathan Thompson each kicked three goals for Hawthorn, while Daniel Chick (3) and Richie Vandenberg (1) received Brownlow votes.



Opponents that Hawthorn has played most often at Docklands are Western Bulldogs (9), Geelong (7) and North Melbourne (7).

St Kilda will join them on seven this week.  The Hawks won the first two of the six matches between the two clubs at the venue, by 11 points (2001) and 9 (2002), while St Kilda has won the four most recent clashes by 66 (2004), 70 (2006), 17 (2007) and 30 (2008).

Teams that Hawthorn has not played at Docklands are Brisbane Lions, Melbourne, Port Adelaide and West Coast.



The eight scoring shots recorded by Brisbane Lions last Saturday was the equal third fewest to which Hawthorn has ever kept an opponent.  The lowest figure was six (3.3) to which the Hawks restricted Footscray at Glenferrie in 1964, followed by seven (2.5) recorded by the Brisbane Bears at Princes Park in 1988.  Other instances of eight scoring shots by opponents were Footscray (5.3 in 1929) and Fitzroy (6.2 in 1963).



In the past 16 seasons, Hawthorn has won just two Round 17 matches - in 2001 and 2005, both against Carlton.  Given that record it is not surprising that Round 17 is the worst for Hawthorn overall. 

In 83 Round 17 matches, Hawthorn has won only 31 and lost 52, making a deficit of 21, the biggest for any round, the next worse being 18 for Rounds 11 and 18.   



Three players recorded significant individual goal-kicking milestones against Brisbane Lions.

Wayde Skipper scored his first goal for the Club in his ninth game; Clinton Young kicked a career-high three goals; while Jordan Lewis’ four goals equalled his career high, which he previously recorded against the Western Bulldogs in Round 21 2007.



This Friday night’s game is being played on the 50th anniversary of one of the most famous games in Hawthorn history - the first ever victory over Collingwood at Victoria Park, in Round 13 1960, by one point, secured with a John Peck goal after the siren.  This game was described in detail in the Round 13 Footy Flashbacks column.

The Hawks also won their most recent 23 July game, against Carlton in 2005.



Grant Birchall has become the eighth Tasmanian to play 100 games for Hawthorn. 

He joins Rodney Eade (229), Darrin Pritchard (211), Ian Paton (155), Paul Hudson (134), Peter Hudson (129), Colin Robertson (116) and Jade Rawlings (116).  That is a high percentage of the 28 Tasmanians to play for the Club, much higher than the 123 of 867 of those who have played for the Club overall.



Hawthorn holds a narrow 74 to 71 (with one draw) lead in the head-to-head battle against St Kilda.  The Saints have won seven of the last nine meetings between the two clubs, although the Hawks won when it mattered most - a 54 point victory in 2008’s Preliminary Final, 18.10.118 to 9.10.64.

Hawthorn has been drawn to play St Kilda less than any other club in recent home and away seasons.  2007 is the only season since 2001 when they have met twice, Hawthorn winning at the MCG in Round 8 and St Kilda at Docklands in Round 16.



Peter Hudson holds the record for the highest number of goals by a Hawthorn player against St Kilda, kicking 12 at Glenferrie in Round 15 1971.  He also holds the record for most goals kicked by an individual Hawthorn player in Round 17, which was also against St Kilda, at Waverley, in 1977.