This Saturday Chance Bateman will become the first indigenous player to reach the 150-game milestone at Hawthorn.
When Bateman made his debut against this week’s opponent, Brisbane Lions, in Round 3 2000 he was just the third indigenous player to represent the Club, the previous two being Cyril Collard (13 games, 1957-58) and Percy Cummings (5 games, 1964-65). Since Bateman’s debut a further eight indigenous players have played for the Hawks.
The story of Cyril Collard, the first indigenous player at Hawthorn was told in Mud, Muscle and Blood: The Story of the 1957 Hawks. The club in his Western Australian home town of Brookton refused him a game because of his race, but he made his mark at Subiaco in the WAFL. He finished third in Subiaco’s best and fairest in 1954 and second in 1955.
Collard headed to Victoria in 1956 and originally trained at Collingwood for five weeks. However, when Hawthorn official, Arthur Ramsay, arranged a job for him at Pelaco, he decided to throw his lot in with the Hawks. The only problem was that Subiaco refused to give Collard a clearance and he was only able to play in 1957 after a successful appeal to the Australian National Football Council. Despite not being able to play, he attended every Hawthorn match and training session in 1956, winning lots of fans with his obvious enthusiasm.
After his year out of football, Collard’s Round 1 1957 debut was eagerly anticipated. One report of the game at Carlton described Collard as “fearless and determined” and prophesised that he “should do well”. Collard played ten of the first eleven games of the 1957 season, only missing Round 2 when a late withdrawal through injury. Later in the season, his only appearance was in Round 15 against Melbourne, when he was a late inclusion in the selected side, but then had to be replaced in third quarter. He managed two further Senior appearances in 1958.
The main features of Collard’s game were electrifying pace and excellent stab passing. He developed the former skill by training at Central Park, Malvern, where he met John Landy and Herb Elliott. He ended up deciding to give up football and focus on professional foot running, where he was good enough to make three Stawell Gift finals. Collard played nine games for Camberwell in the VFA in 1962. He lived in Noble Park for many years.
Hawthorn has more close games in the first 15 rounds of 2010 than in any season for 51 years. In 2010, there have been eight games decided by 12 points or fewer (plus another two by under three goals), which is the most since the first 15 rounds of 1959. Those eight close games in 1959 produced just two wins, compared to the four wins and four losses in the close games this season.
Prior to that, in 1954, there was a run of nine games in a row decided by margins of two goals or less from Round 3 to Round 11. Those nine games produced five wins and four defeats.
This Saturday’s game is the third consecutive one between Hawthorn and Brisbane Lions to be played at Aurora Stadium. The past two have had vastly contrasting outcomes. In Round 19, 2008 Shane Crawford’s 300th game inspired the Hawks to a 69 point win. Then in Round 12, 2009 things were going OK at half-time when the Hawks led by 14 points, but were outscored by 10.6 to 1.4 in the second half.
Since Brisbane entered the League in 1987, the two clubs have met 38 times with the Hawks having recorded 22 victories and 16 defeats. The Lions won 10 of the 11 encounters between 2001 and early 2007, but the Hawks have won three of the past four encounters.
10 years ago, in Round 16 2000, Hawthorn thrashed Collingwood by 57 points at Docklands. Ben Dixon kicked 6.2 from just nine disposals, supported by John Barker with four and Nick Holland 3. Holland received the three Brownlow votes, Shane Crawford (28 disposals) the two votes and Barker one.
20 years ago, in Round 16 1990, Hawthorn thrashed Richmond by 91 points at the MCG, an outstanding performance as the Hawks had had to make eight changes going into the game, with the omissions including the injured Jason Dunstall, John Platten, Greg Dear and Anthony Condon and the suspended John Kennedy.
One of the ‘ins’ did have a big impact on the game - Dermott Brereton kicked a career high 11 goals. Gary Ayres also equalled his career high goals tally of five which had been set 11 years earlier against South Melbourne in Round 14 1979. Glenn Nugent made an outstanding debut gaining 21 disposals, kicking two goals and getting two Brownlow votes.
40 years ago, in Round 16 1970, Hawthorn and Footscray went into their Waverley encounter with 7-8 records, although the Hawks were 19 per cent ahead on percentage. The Hawks dominated from the start kicking 7.0 to 0.4 in the opening term, increasing the lead to 52 points at half-time and 67 at the final change, before surging onto a new club record winning margin of 99 points - 23.9.147 to 6.12.48. Despite the big score there were only five goal-kickers Peter Hudson 11, Bob Keddie 4, Leigh Matthews 3, Ray Wilson three and Geoff Smith two.
50 years ago, in Round 16 1960, the 5th placed Hawks were keen to see whether their late season surge could be continued against top team, Melbourne, who had put together a 14-1 record and had a percentage of 158.9. A crowd of 24,646 saw Hawthorn lead at every change and, despite failing to kick a goal in the final term, hold on for a nine point win. John Peck starred by kicking 6 of Hawthorn’s 11 goals.
Until last year’s win over Collingwood, Hawthorn had not recorded a Round 16 win since 2003. That win put the Hawks marginally ahead in the win-loss ratio for the round - 43 wins and 42 losses.
Jason Dunstall holds the individual goal-kicking against Brisbane when he booted 11 against the Bears in the first ever match between the two clubs at Carrara in 1987. The individual match goal kicking record for Hawthorn in Round 16 is shared by Peter Hudson, Jason Dunstall and Dermott Brereton who kicked 11 in 1970, 1989 and 1990 respectively.
