While last week history was on Hawthorn’s side as a Qualifying Final loser in a Semi Final, this week it has the odds against it in a Preliminary Final. The victories by Hawthorn and West Coast last week mean that 22 of 24 Qualifying Final losers have now been successful since the current version of the Eight was introduced in 2000.
To date, only three of 22 Semi Final winners have been able to repeat their success of week two in week three. Two of the three (Brisbane Lions, 2003 and Sydney, 2005) had, like Hawthorn in 2011, finished third in the home and away season, while the other (West Coast 2006) had finished on top.
Hawthorn and Collingwood have played each other three previous times in Finals, all in the 1970s and all at the MCG, with the Hawks winning two of them.
In the 1974 First Semi Final, Hawthorn thrashed Collingwood by 50 points - 21.12.138 to 13.10.88, having set up the win by outscoring the Magpies by 33 points in the opening term. Leigh Matthews was the star having 21 kicks and kicking seven goals. Other forwards amongst the goals were Michael Moncrieff with four and Charlie Grummisch with three, while other good players were Brian Douge, Kelvin Matthews, Michael Tuck, Peter Knights and Alan Goad.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Second Semi Finals were generally played at Waverley but for a while there was a policy of playing games involving the MCG co-tenants at Waverley. Hence the 1977 First Semi involving Richmond was played at Waverley, while the Hawks and Magpies slugged out a classic Final at the MCG. Hawthorn produced a big first quarter after Collingwood’s Phil Carman flattened Michael Tuck, an incident which cost Carman a two match suspension and meant he ended up missing two Grand Finals. After that the game remained close with Collingwood leading by a point at half-time and five points at the final change.
As the game reached the 30 minute mark, the Magpies had a 14 point lead but quick goals to Peter Hudson and John Hendrie cut the margin to two points but while there was time to get another Collingwood held on to win 17.10.112 to 16.14.110. Hawthorn’s best were Tuck, Knights, Hendrie, Scott, Moncreiff and Geoff Ablett.
The two clubs’ next meeting was in the following year’s Qualifying Final and the Hawks led at every change before winning 23.16.154 to 14.14.98. Michael Moncrieff kicked eight, while the leading possession-getters were Michael Tuck, Leigh Matthews and first-year player, Peter Russo.
In the 36 years prior to the Hawks’ inaugural premiership year, 1961, they had only beaten Collingwood four times in 61 games and could only look enviously at Collingwood’s 13 Premierships. From 1961 onwards, the boot has been on the other foot, with the Hawks holding a 52 to 38 advantage in the head-to-head, and also having won ten Premierships to the Magpies two in the last five decades. This means that currently, after 151 games, Hawthorn has won 56 and Collingwood 95.
Hawthorn’s longest winning sequence against Collingwood is seven which was achieved between 1985 and 1988.
Hawthorn has won five of its last seven games against Collingwood. The only blemishes came in Round 4 last season when the Hawks were thrashed by 64 points in a Saturday night encounter and a 41 point loss in Round 15 this season. In between, the Hawks scored a three point win in Round 22 last season. In that game, Hawthorn trailed at every change, but stormed home late in the final term. Sam Mitchell (30 disposals) and Lance Franklin (six goals) were outstanding.
This Friday night will see Hawthorn contest its eleventh Preliminary Final. The previous ten included eight under Final Four/Fives systems and two under a Final Eight. These games have produced five wins and five defeats.
Two Hawthorn Finals, excluding Grand Finals, have produced crowds of over 90,000. The 1971 Second Semi was attended by a crowd of 99,822, while 91,471 attended the 1963 Second Semi versus Geelong. The largest at Preliminary Finals have been 88,262 against North Melbourne in 1974, followed by 86,586 against Geelong in 1974 and 86,468 against Essendon in 2001. The largest in a Final against Collingwood was 87,421 at the 1977 Second Semi Final.
Lance Franklin has now taken his tally of goals in Finals to 31 which places him equal fifth on the all time Hawthorn list with Michael Moncrieff. Those ahead of them on the list are Jason Dunstall (78), Leigh Matthews (72), Dermott Brereton (53) and Gary Buckenara (36).
Cyril Rioli’s goal against Sydney took him to 100 career goals, the 56th Hawthorn player to reach the mark. There are only four other current Hawthorn with more than 100 goals for the club - Franklin (448), Roughead (253), Hodge (124) and Osborne (104). Several other current Hawks (Bruce, Burgoyne, Hale and Guerra) have passed 100 AFL goals, when one includes their goals with other clubs.
The 11 goals without a behind in the second quarter last Friday night was a record for a Final. The record for any game is 15, set by Collingwood and Melbourne in 1996. [Thanks to Kevin Taylor’s Footystats website for this information].
The selection of just two Hawks, Sam Mitchell and Lance Franklin, in the All Australian team maintains the unusual statistic that of the seven seasons under Alistair Clarkson the one which has produced the most All Australians was the one where the team finished lowest - 14th in Clarkson’s first season in charge, 2005. That year there were three - Trent Croad, Luke Hodge and Peter Everitt.
Subsequently, there have been three seasons (2008, 2010 and 2011) which produced two All Australians - Franklin in all three, Hodge in two and now Mitchell in one. In 2007, the sole Hawthorn All Australian was Campbell Brown, while in 2006 and 2009 the Hawks did not have anyone selected. Interestingly, another season in which Hawthorn did not have a representative in the All Australian team was the 1991 Premiership season.
Next Monday night, Sam Mitchell will undoubtedly become just the seventh Hawthorn player to exceed 100 Brownlow Medal votes in his career. Thus far, he has accumulated 98 votes, placing him behind Leigh Matthews (202), Shane Crawford (160), John Platten (143), Jason Dunstall (129), Peter Knights (126) and Michael Tuck (104). Matthews, Knights and Tuck’s numbers were inflated by participating in the 1976 and 1977 seasons when two umpires awarded votes. To date, Mitchell’s best year was 2007 when he received 21 votes, followed by 2008 and 2010 when he got 15.
Brendan Whitecross is scheduled to play his 50th AFL game and in doing so he will continue the strong record of Queenslanders at Hawthorn. There have only been seven of them, but Whitecross will be the fifth to reach 50 games, following in the footsteps of Jason Dunstall, Stephen Lawrence, Michael Osborne and Brent Renouf. The only Hawthorn Queenslanders not to have reached 50 games are Rhan Hooper and David Hale.
The best goal-kicking effort by a Hawk against Collingwood is 11 by Jason Dunstall in both the 1989 and 1990 seasons; followed by Michael Moncrieff with 10 in 1976. Three Hawthorn players have kicked eight goals in a Final - Michael Moncrieff in 1978, Dermott Brereton in 1985 and Lance Franklin in 2008.
