Hawthorn fans could have been excused for experiencing a touch of déjà vu last Friday night.

The Hawks travelled up to Sydney to take on their arch-rivals, the Swans, at the S.C.G.

The game’s outcome posed a huge influence on the Hawks’ season.

A beloved son was tasked with slotting a goal in the dying seconds to snatch victory for the Hawks.

And the final margin was within one straight kick. 

All of these factors apply to the stories that were Hawthorn’s Round 17 2016 and Round 10 2017.

But, despite only 316 days separating these two near-identical games, the personnel that delivered victory for the Hawks on Friday night took on a remarkably different look.

On Friday night, ten Hawthorn positions, nearly half of the team, were filled by different players.

The omissions since last year include James Frawley, Ben Stratton, Sam Mitchell, Grant Birchall, Jordan Lewis, Bradley Hill, Cyril Rioli, Jonathan Ceglar, Jonathan O’Rourke and Angus Litherland.

Read: Smith impressed by youngsters

The grand total of this group’s games played in a Hawthorn jumper is an astonishing 1,372 games.

To put this in perspective, their “replacements” for the Round 10 clash last week brought in just 457 games worth of experience in the brown and gold.

To acknowledge this level of change, is to acknowledge the reason Hawthorn fans should remain optimistic about the current group.

Despite the plethora of change that the club has undergone in less than a year, Friday night’s performance showed why familiar results should remain a recognisable thing for this proud side.

Read: Talking points Round 10 v Sydney

 

Round 10, 2017 Hawthorn Line-up

B: Blake Hardwick, Josh Gibson, Shaun Burgoyne
HB: Taylor Duryea, Ryan Burton, Ricky Henderson
C: Isaac Smith, Luke Hodge, Liam Shiels
HF: Luke Breust, Paul Puopolo, Dallas Willsmore
F: Ty Vickery, Jarryd Roughead, Jack Gunston
FOL: Ben McEvoy, Tom Mitchell, Daniel Howe
I/C: Kaiden Brand, James Cousins, Brendan Whitecross, James Sicily

 

Round 17, 2016 Hawthorn Line-up

B: S.Burgoyne, J.Frawley, B.Stratton
HB: S.Mitchell, J.Gibson, G.Birchall
C: I.Smith, J.Lewis, B.Hill
HF: L.Breust, J.Gunston, C.Rioli
F: J.Sicily, B.McEvoy, P.Puopolo
R: J.Ceglar, L.Hodge, J.O’Rourke
I/C: K.Brand, T.Duryea, A.Litherland, B.Whitecross

 

IN: Blake Hardwick (8 games), Ryan Burton (13), Ricky Henderson (7), Liam Shiels (152), Dallas Willsmore (0), Ty Vickery (5), Jarryd Roughead (241), Tom Mitchell (10), Daniel Howe (21), James Cousins (0)

 

OUT: Frawley (48), Stratton (146), Mitchell (307), Birchall (243), Lewis (264), Hill (95), Rioli (185), Ceglar (50), O’Rourke (9), Litherland (25)

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