Hawthorn will be looking to improve a poor recent record in Sydney when it takes on the Swans this Saturday.

The Hawks have won just one of their last ten games at the SCG, the only success in the past 15 years coming in 2003. 

Since then, Hawthorn has lost three games at the SCG, most recently by 72 points in Round 22 2007 and last year lost to the Swans at Stadium Australia by 38 points in the first appearance of the brown and gold at that venue.



Overall, the Hawks record at the SCG stands at 11 wins and 11 losses, but one of the wins was against North Melbourne, so the record against Sydney is in deficit at 10-11.

After the Swans moved to Sydney in 1982, the Hawks won the first five encounters between the two clubs at the SCG.  Then after a couple of defeats, the Hawks won another four in a row to take the record to 9-2, before the tide turned.



Two of the Hawks best wins over Sydney at the SCG have occurred in Round 19.

First and second on the ladder met at the SCG in Round 19, 1986. The match of the round proved to be a mismatch. Hawthorn exposed Sydney as pretenders by handing out a 98-point football lesson.  Monday’s Sun commented that “it was the Hawthorn of old - fast, furious, mean and very aggressive”. Particular features of the performance were the tackling, and the run-on style, especially in running the ball out of defence. 

A new record Sydney crowd of 39,763 saw Hawthorn 27.9.171 defeat Sydney 10.13.73.  All the forwards got among the goals with Jason Dunstall and Dermott Brereton each kicking five, Peter Curran four and Gary Buckenara three. 

Best players included Peter Russo, Buckenara, Richard Loveridge, Michael Tuck and Robert Dipierdomenico.



In Round 19 2003 Hawthorn, wearing heritage jumpers of brown with a gold V, put the disappointment of the previous week’s narrow loss to Port Adelaide behind them to score an upset win over fourth-placed Sydney.  A Saturday night crowd of 33,473 saw the Hawks set up the win by leading against the wind at quarter time and then adding 6.1 to 2.3 second quarter.  Five consecutive goals brought the Swans back into the game before a strong mark and goal by Nick Holland and a crucial interception by Michael Osborne stemmed the flow.  The Hawks ran out winners, 17.8.110 to 14.9.93.

Twelve Hawthorn players kicked goals led by Nathan Thompson three, Brett Johnson two, Jade Rawlings two and Mark Williams two.  The Brownlow votes went to two young stars named Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge, plus captain Shane Crawford, while others in the best players were Peter Everitt, Richie Vandenberg and Nathan Lonie.



In Round 10, 1979 Hawthorn headed to the SCG for its first ever League game outside Victoria.  The team was in mediocre form, having won only four of its first nine matches for the season.  Its opponent, perennial 1970s rival, North Melbourne, had been progressing much better, with eight wins and just a solitary defeat. 

The crowd of 31,391 saw the game go largely to form in the first half as North took an 11 point lead into the long interval.  However, the Hawks recaptured some of their best form with a withering 9.4 to 2.2 third quarter that set them on the way to a 51 point win - 23.18.156 to 16.9.105.

Peter Russo was leading goal-kicker with four, followed by Leigh Matthews with three, one of which was a piece of classic Matthews play as he baulked several opponents in the right forward pocket before steering his kick home through the Randwick end goals.  The list of best players for Hawthorn was headed by first season player John Kennedy Jnr. and also contained Russo, Matthews, Murnane, Tuck and Goss.



Hawthorn has played South Melbourne / Sydney 146 times for 80 wins, 64 defeats and two draws.  Each club had periods where they dominated the other with South putting together sequences of 15 wins (1929-37) and 13 wins (1944-51), while the Hawks’ best sequences were 13 from 1971 to 1977, followed by 11 from 1981 to 1986. 

Recently, the Swans had won six in a row, before Hawthorn stopped the run at the MCG in Round 15, 2008.  Last season the games went with home advantage - Sydney winning by 38 points at Stadium Australia and Hawthorn by 11 points at the MCG, while earlier this year the Hawks snuck home by two points at the MCG in Round 10.



There was a Round 19 played from 1945 to 1949 (to make up for games missed during the War) and again in 1952 (to compensate for the propaganda round). However, it did not become a permanent fixture until 1968.  Overall, Hawthorn has won 26 and lost 21 of its matches in this round. In recent seasons, Round 19 has been by one of Hawthorn’s best rounds, with the team winning seven of its last nine matches in this round.



One reader has asked which Hawk has played the most games without being reported or suspended.  The answer is Peter Knights who had an unblemished record in his 264 game career.



Hawthorn has a mixed record in games played on 7 August.  It began with a draw in 1926 and since then there have been 5 wins and 4 losses, with margins ranging from a 92 point win over North Melbourne in 1971 to an 82 point defeat by Geelong in 1993.



Peter Hudson holds the individual goals record for Hawthorn against the Swans, twice kicking 13.  He kicked 13 goals against South Melbourne in consecutive matches in Round 11, 1969 and Round 8, 1970. Both matches were at Glenferrie and on both occasions he kicked the very accurate 13.2.

Jason Dunstall holds the individual goal-kicking record for Round 19, setting it in 1996 when he kicked 14 against Footscray at Waverley on a Saturday night.