The Hawks suffered losses in their opening Community League (CWFL) and Victorian Wheelchair Football League (VWFL) matches against Richmond on Sunday at Boroondara Sports Complex.

Fielding two new-look sides, Hawthorn struggled to combat the might of Richmond, who come into this year’s competition as the reigning premiers.

Check out how each match went below.

CWFL

It was a slow start for the Hawks who succumbed to Richmond’s pressure and experience.

New recruit Hayden Auber looked lively, but it wasn’t enough, as the Tigers went into quarter-time with a 23-point lead.

Auber continued to pepper the goals in the second term but it only resulted in three minor scores, with Richmond extending its half-time buffer to 45 points.

The Hawks came out of the half-time break on a mission, using their pace to get on the scoreboard.

It was David Ralph who secured the breakthrough for Hawthorn after dispossessing his opponent with a great tackle.

Ralph then made no mistake on the angled set shot, scoring Hawthorn’s first major of the CWFL season.

The Tigers continued on their merry way during the rest of the third quarter though, going into the final break with a 62-point lead.

They kept the Hawks scoreless in the final term and ended up taking home a convincing 82-point win.

Despite the loss, Auber showed that he is a player to watch in the competition, gathering plenty of the footy and impressing with his speed and determination.

Goals: Ralph

VWFL

Hawthorn struggled to compete with the might of the reigning premiers, Richmond.

However, a brilliant set shot from Finn Broadbent right on the quarter-time siren lifted the Hawks going into the second term.

At the first break, it was the Tigers leading by 38 points.

Captain Jo Argaet continued to lift her side’s spirits in the second term with great direction and communication, plus a few good passages of plays on her own.

It didn’t result in any goals, unfortunately, as the Tigers continued to dominate.

By half-time, Richmond’s lead blew out to 74 points.

It was a much better third term from the Hawks thanks to two majors from Broadbent, taking his tally for the day to three.

He and Argaet teamed up well throughout the day, but it was Broadbent’s sizzling pace and forward line smarts that highlighted his importance to the Hawthorn team.

The fourth term saw the Tigers continue to show their strengths, but it was Broadbent who again popped up to bag another three goals.

The young tennis gun was the star of the day with five majors in total, but unfortunately, the Hawks ended up falling to the Tigers by 129 points.

Goals: Broadbent 5

Next up

The Hawks next face St Kilda on Sunday 21 May at the Boroondara Sports Complex.

The CWFL and VWFL, like the AFL, will celebrate Sir Doug Nicholls Round with the Hawks to don Indigenous guernseys.

The CWFL fixture gets underway at 11am while the VWFL begins at 1pm.

Entry is free and the games will be live-streamed on the AFL Victoria and Victoria Wheelchair Football League Facebook pages.

Feature image taken by Nerissa Byrne Photography.