It was an exciting weekend for Hawthorn's AFL Blind and Wheelchair teams as they returned to play for the first time in more than four months.

And both teams got to taste victory, claiming separate wins across the weekend. 

Hawks new coaching group finally meet as one

It comes after the Victorian Wheelchair Football League and Victorian Blind Football League faced an extended layoff due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Here's the wrap up of how the teams performed on the weekend.

AFL Blind

Hawthorn's Blind team won one of its three games on Saturday.

Despite going down to St Kilda 81-26 in the first game, the Hawks bounced back in their second game to claim a five-point win against the Bulldogs.

The Hawks were in control for the majority of the game, creating plenty of scoring opportunities.

The last of the Hawks' final three games proved to be a tough one as injuries in the previous games took their toll on the team. 

They went down 40-12 against the Bombers as they struggled to capitalise on the scoreboard.

Stand-out performers of the round included Johnny Boland, David Gauci and Ned Bewer-Maiga.

Sean Brown also made his way down from Sydney to make his debut for the Hawks and kicked his first goal in AFL Blind.

Wheelchair Football

Meanwhile on Sunday, the Hawks Wheelchair side played in the Community Cup, but lost to the mixed team, 30-6.

While they didn't get the win, the team showed great camaraderie and potential for future games.

Stand-out performers included James Gilders who has shown massive improvement in only his fourth game of wheelchair footy.

Luis Gonzales and Gerard McCarthy also showed tremendous leadership. 

In the main VWFL competition, the wheelchair team were also defeated in their first game back, with Essendon claiming a 16-point victory.

Jaylen Brown was a clear stand-out scoring the bulk of the Hawks goals, while captain Jo Argaet and Mathew Ingram played pivotal roles in the middle of the court, as Troy Hawkins played a massive role in both defense and attack. 

The side then took on Collingwood to claim their first VWFL win of the season in a comprehensive 83-76 victory.

The Hawks controlled the game from start to finish with stand-out performances from Hawkins, Matthew Ingram and Jeremy O’Halloran.

Brown was again dominant and contributed to most of the Hawks scores and rightly was awarded the player of the match.

What’s up next

Another three games await the brown and gold's AFL Blind team to finish off the home-and-away season on Saturday, as the team remains hopeful for a top-two finish.

Meanwhile in the VWFL, Hawthorn will be facing Essendon again in a Semi Final next Sunday with the winner to move onto a Preliminary Final.

To rewatch the recent games on the weekend visit here.

To view the fixture of the remaining games across both leagues click here.

Hawthorn’s Wheelchair Football and AFL Blind teams are made possible thanks to the support of the club’s social inclusion partner, Afford. With over 65 years of experience, Afford are one of Australia’s longest serving disability service providers. To find out more, click here.