The 26 behinds recorded against Melbourne last Sunday was the highest number Hawthorn has kicked for 20 years. The last time the Hawks kicked that many behinds was in a score of 28.27 versus Fitzroy at Princes Park in 1991. 

Sunday’s effort against Melbourne was the 12th occasion in Club history when the Hawks have kicked 26 or more behinds in a match. Hawthorn actually holds the league record for behinds in a game, 41, with the effort of 25.41 against St Kilda at Princes Park in 1977 (Next highest is Geelong with 35 in 1981).

The second highest number of behinds Hawthorn has kicked was 31 in a score of 11.31.97 against Melbourne in 1985, a negative deferential of 20 between goals and behinds, which is the equal Club record, sharing the dubious honour with a score of 4.24.48 the Hawks managed against Fitzroy in the winless 1950 season.



Speaking of the winless 1950 season, 60 years ago in Round 3 1951, after 22 consecutive defeats, the Hawks broke through for their first win since late in 1949, beating St Kilda by 23 points. It was the first time that John Kennedy Snr played in a win, after losses in his first 20 games.



In trying to find analogies with last Sunday’s inaccurate kicking followed by a dominant burst, one game which sprang to mind was against Geelong at Princes Park in 1978. On that occasion, the Hawks still trailed at three quarter time with a score of 4.20 to 8.11. In the final term, Hawthorn added 8.4 to 0.2 to win by 35 points! Peter Knights starred with 32 disposals, 10 marks and three goals, after he was shifted to the forward line.



The attendance last Sunday was the sixth highest ever for a home and away match between Hawthorn and Melbourne. The record is the 63,196 who attended the ‘merger match’ in 1996, while the other larger ones were 57,247 (1990), 55,293 (1963), 53,798 (1964) and 52,256 (1971).



Hawthorn has won five of the last six matches against Richmond, the one loss coming in Round 20, 2008 with Richmond scoring an upset win by 29 points, in what proved to be the last loss of Hawthorn’s premiership season. In 2009, the two clubs did not meet until Round 21, the game resulting in Hawthorn’s only win in the last six weeks of the season, by 42 points, while last year Hawthorn got its season back on track when a thrilling game-saving tackle from Sam Mitchell ensured the Hawks hung on for a 13.11.89 to 13.8.86 win in Round 8. Overall, Hawthorn and Richmond have met on 148 occasions, with the Hawks winning 66 and the Tigers 82.



2011 is the ninth consecutive season when Hawthorn has had an away game in Round 3. 

In the past eight years, the eight Round 3 away games have produced four wins and four losses. In both 2003 and 2004, the Hawks lost to Port Adelaide at Football Park, and then, in 2005, narrowly lost an away MCG clash against Essendon.

Despite playing away, the Hawks then won four consecutive Round 3 matches, beginning with an upset 52 point win over Geelong at Kardinia Park in 2006, followed by three wins against North Melbourne at Docklands, by 21 points (2007), 16 points (2008) and 54 points (2009). 

The winning run in the round ended last season, when the Bulldogs beat the Hawks by 16 points at Docklands. That result squared the overall Round 3 ledger at 43 wins and 43 defeats.



Hawthorn and Richmond met a number of times in Round 3 in the 1990s, with the Hawks winning in 1990 and 1991 and losing in 1995 and 1998 (both by 6 point margins).

20 years ago, in the 1991 match, a Waverley Park crowd of 25,960 saw the Hawks establish an 18 point lead a margin, extended at every break, to a final margin of 57 points. Paul Hudson, in just his tenth AFL game, was in superb form getting 24 disposals, booting five goals and gaining the three Brownlow votes.



The two clubs also played in Round 3 in 1986, 25 years ago this week. That game at Princes Park saw the Hawks maintain their unbeaten start to the season in a high scoring game, 22.22.154 to 15.9.99, although not as high scoring as the encounter there between the two clubs the previous season where Hawthorn had lost badly, despite kicking a score of 149. 

When scores were level at quarter time, Richmond looked like they might be able to make a game of the 1986 encounter as well. However, the Hawks gradually took control by 23 points at half time and 53 at the final change, before cruising home to a 55 point win.

The goals were shared with John Kennedy kicking five, Dermott Brereton four, Jason Dunstall four and Michael Byrne three, while the disposal count was led by Terry Wallace with 31 and Colin Robertson 25. The Brownlow votes went three-Colin Robertson two-Rod Lester-Smith one-Greg Dear, the first two of whom, interestingly, did not end up playing in the premiership team come the last Saturday in September.

However, Round 3 was an indicator of one September event - the teams that were in the Five after three rounds ended up being the Final Five.



40 years ago, in Round 3 1971, Hawthorn had by far their closest game of the season to date as they fought out an eight point win over Geelong at Glenferrie. The Hawks led by four points at quarter time, trailed by two at the long break, led by one at the final change before winning 16.19.115 to 16.11.107.

Peter Hudson only managed one goal (overshadowed by Doug Wade who kicked six at the other end) to take his season tally to a modest ten. The major contributor to the Hawthorn score was Leigh Matthews with a new career-high of five (he had previously kicked three goals on three occasions), while Alan Martello and Peter Crimmins each booted three.



50 years ago, in Round 3 1961, the Hawks unleashed a powerful third term burst, as they had the previous week against Melbourne. After conceding the opening two goals, the Hawks kicked the next four, racing away to a 29 point lead at the final change, having had 11 scoring shots to two for the quarter. John Peck came into the game, at one stage riding “a barrage of bumps to snap a goal in a terrific fighting effort”. Garry Young also set up an Ian Law goal with some clever play and then marked strongly to kick one himself.

However, the game was far from over at three quarter time, as Fitzroy again began the quarter well, this time kicking the first four goals, to cut the deficit to seven points. Two goals from Law and one from Peck steadied the ship and Hawthorn ran out reasonably comfortable 26 point winners.

One match report described the decisive factor in the game was that “Fitzroy could never curb the brilliance of half forwards Morton Browne and Ian Mort, and rover Law”. Browne, who kicked five goals, and Law competed for the title of best-on-ground, while other good players included Mort, McPherson, Fisher, McArthur and Kaine.



Jason Dunstall had an amazing season against Richmond in 1992, booting a Club record 17 goals in Round 7 and following it up with a further bag of 12 in Round 22. In his whole career, Dunstall kicked 111 goals against Richmond, behind only his 116 against the Bulldogs.

The record for Round 3 is 11 kicked by Leigh Matthews versus Essendon at Waverley in 1973.  Michael Moncrieff had a particular liking for Round 3, kicking 10 in both 1974 versus South Melbourne and 1976 versus Collingwood.