Hawthorn game has been decided by a goal or less. The 200 are made up of 93 wins, 98 defeats and nine draws.
The Hawks two most recent six point or fewer margins have been wins (the one before Sunday was the one point triumph against Essendon in Round 5 last year). Prior to that, the club had suffered a string of six consecutive goal or less losses, three each in 2004 and 2005.
The 200 games decided by a goal or less represent 11.8 per cent of the total number of 1690 games that Hawthorn has played. Interestingly, the two other 1925 entrants have had far more six points or fewer results – the Bulldogs have had 239 (14.4%) and the Kangaroos have had 235 (13.9%).
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Round 5, 2007 marks the fifth anniversary of one of the most significant matches for Hawthorn debuts. In Round 5, 2002 Robert Campbell, Luke Hodge and Sam Mitchell all debuted in Hawthorn’s 42 point win over Richmond at the MCG.
Of the 110 games in the intervening five years, Hodge has played 92, Mitchell 90 and Campbell 58.
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With his crucial goal in the last quarter against Geelong, Xavier Ellis became Hawthorn’s 601st individual goal-kicker. His first goal came in his 4th AFL game, much quicker than the case of 600th individual goal-kicker, Brad Sewell, who did not kick a goal until his 40th game. Sewell actually kicked two goals in the first half against Geelong in Round 22 last year – he has not managed any goals in the other 87 halves he has played.
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Hawthorn and the Bulldogs go into this Sunday’s game level on the head-to-head record at 71 each, with two draws. In the past two seasons the teams have only met once, both at Docklands, with the Bulldogs winning by 22 points in 2005 and 21 points in 2006. The Bulldogs last won three in a row versus Hawthorn in 1997-98.
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If one includes the last month of the 2006 season, Hawthorn has won seven of its last eight games, the best sequence of results since winning the first eight games of the 2001 season.
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Speaking of sequences extending back into 2006, Lance Franklin has now recorded at least one goal in 15 consecutive matches. In the last 11 games of last season he booted 30 goals, including bags of 6 in Rounds 12 and 19. So far this year, the four matches have yielded 3, 1, 3 and 1 for a total of 8.
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The fact that Hawthorn has won 9 of its 13 Aurora Stadium matches has received plenty of coverage in the media. It is worth pointing out that Hawthorn has also won 9 of its past 13 matches at Skilled Stadium.
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2007 has become the 7th occasion when Hawthorn has begun the season with a loss and then recovered to win the next three games. Of the previous six, only twice, in 1988 and 1989, has Hawthorn then won in Round 5. In 1955, 1959, 1961 and 1980 the team lost its Round 5 match.
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The highest individual goal tally kicked by a Hawthorn player against the Bulldogs is 14 by Jason Dunstall in Round 19, 1996 at Waverley. The most by a Hawk in Round 5 is 16 by Peter Hudson in 1969 against Melbourne.
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As we acknowledge Anzac Day, we should remember the eight Hawthorn players who lost their lives in World War Two – Jack Drake, Alf Giblett, Alex Nash, Richard Pirrie, Jack Price, Len Thomas, Max Wheeler and Gus Young.
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1957 – Fifty Years On
Round 3, 1957
Saturday 4 May 1957 at Arden Street
Hawthorn 11.12.78 lost to North Melbourne 13.9.87
The end of Round 2, 1957 had seen Hawthorn on top of the ladder for only the second time in the club’s history. The only previous occasion had been after Round 1, 1940, when the achievement had been followed by three consecutive losses that saw the team slide down the ladder to be on the bottom after Round 4.
Hoping to defend top spot more successfully in 1957, the Hawks were taking on a North Melbourne side that was yet to win a game, but which had won 10 of the last 11 meetings between the two clubs. There was one change to Hawthorn’s starting XVIII, with Cyril Collard returning from injury to replace John O’Mahony. As described in last week’s column, O’Mahony had suffered a serious injury in Round 1 that was not diagnosed until after Round 2. Even on the eve of Round 3, The Age was reporting him suffering from a “very heavy chest cold”. There was a more accurate report on the front page of the Saturday Herald, accompanied by a picture of him in his hospital bed.
At Arden Street, the Hawks had the better of the opening term, with Terry Ingersoll booting 2 goals. His good form meant that North’s defence tended to focus on him which, in turn, allowed the unguarded Les Kaine to record an easy goal.
The windy conditions produced a game of fluctuating fortunes. One report described how “Hawthorn’s fortunes rose and fell with the success and failure of its three main strengths – its rucks, its half back line and the near-genius of Graham Arthur at half-forward”. However, it was also noted that the good play of the following division of Kennedy, Kaine, Young and Woodley was offset by the fact that North’s rovers were dominant.
In the last term, John Kennedy rose to great heights and almost halted North single-handedly but, with the wind advantage, North kicked the last three goals to win the game.
One match report stated “the Hawks fought it out gamely to confirm its improvement from last year” and “suffered no loss of prestige”. However, they did have an injury concern as John Peck had a twisted ankle. Readers might also be interested to know about a Round 3 injury to a St Kilda player – Allan Jeans had broken a bone in his foot and was expected to miss several matches.
Ingersoll’s 4 goals took him to 10 for the season, putting him in outright 4th on the League’s goal-kicking table. Yet his goals were not enough to see him included in the best players who were listed as Arthur, Kaine, Crane, Kennedy, Young and Peck.
North Melb 2.2 6.5 10.6 13.9.87
Hawthorn 4.3 4.5 10.9 11.12.78
Goals Ingersoll 4, Kaine 3, Arthur 2, Yeoman, M. Young.
Attendance 11,000
