Ahead of Hawthorn's 1983 premiership reunion this weekend, we've taken a look back at that year that resulted in the ultimate success. 

We'll be telling the story across four instalments - click for part one and part two - while Rounds 12-17 of the 1983 home and away season are recapped below.

Hawthorn had reached the half-way mark of the 1983 season with a 6-5 record. Making the Final Five was by no means guaranteed for the Hawks, as there were three other teams behind them only on percentage. Reaching third to get the double-chance seemed very challenging, as the Hawks were two wins behind third-placed Essendon.

However, the week between Rounds 11 and 12 provided some positives. It started at the tribunal on Monday night with both Peter Schwab and Chris Langford being cleared of striking charges which had been laid in the last quarter of the defeat against Geelong (although the news was less good for Mark Turner who copped a three-game suspension for an incident in the Reserves). The improved week continued on Tuesday night with a two-point win in the Night Series against Collingwood, but the major challenge was to come on Saturday with a game against top team Fitzroy.

Fine and mainly sunny weather attracted a crowd of 20,708 to Princes Park for the big game. For a while inaccurate goalkicking looked like it could cruel Hawthorn’s chances, with the score at one stage of the second quarter being 4.9 to 7.0, but the Hawks then slammed on eight straight goals. At one stage, Hawthorn got out to a 56-point lead but, as they had in Round 1, and as they would again in the Qualifying Final, the Lions fought back, getting within 17 points before the Hawks steadied to win the high-scoring encounter – 25.17.167 to 21.8.134.

Writing in The Age, Mike Coward praised the quartet of Matthews, Knights, Tuck and Wallace writing that they were ‘the lifeblood of Hawthorn’, with Matthews ‘indestructible’, Knights ‘irrepressible’, Tuck ‘indefatigable’ and Wallace ‘was in irresistible form for the umpteenth time this year’. The return of Ian Paton to the ruck assisted with what had been a vulnerability for the Hawks in previous weeks.

Hawthorn recorded consecutive wins for the first time since Round 3 when it comfortably accounted for Sydney at the SCG in Round 13. It was just the Hawks’ fourth VFL game played outside Victoria and the Sunday afternoon timeslot made it one of just two games Hawthorn played in 1983 which was not on a Saturday afternoon. Hawthorn won 15.20.110 to 11.12.78, with four goals to Gary Buckenara, and Wallace again the best player with Langford, Schwab, Knights and Shields also included in the best players.

In wintery conditions, Hawthorn’s smallest crowd of the season (8,188) ventured to Princes Park for the Round 14 game against St Kilda. As they did in most games at the venue in this period, Hawthorn attacked the Heatley Stand end first, but began poorly, trailing by 20 points at quarter-time. Things improved after that, as the Hawks outscored the Saints 17.13 to 2.14 for the remainder of the game to win 21.17.143 to 9.20.74. Hawthorn had picked its fifth debutant for the season, David Flintoff, from Syndal-Tally Ho. Wearing number 49, he spent most of the day on the bench, but gathered a kick and a handball in his brief time on the ground. It was to be his only game for the Hawks’ Seniors, but he later played 31 games for Melbourne, including playing against his former club in the 1988 Grand Final.

The VFL Park surface was in very poor condition for Hawthorn’s Round 15 clash with eighth-placed Footscray. In a remarkably even first half scores were level at both quarter and half time, but a dominant 6.3 to 2.2 third quarter set up a 29-point Hawthorn win – 13.11.89 to 9.6.60. Ken Judge kicked four goals and those named in the best were Eade, Knights, Wallace, Mew, Greene and Judge. It was a round of upsets with Finals contenders Fitzroy, Essendon, Geelong, and Carlton all losing to teams lower on the ladder.

With a split round, there was a weekend off between Rounds 15 and 16 but that fortnight between League games included a Night Series semi-final which the Hawks, missing several stars, lost to Richmond by 25 points and a State of Origin game in Perth which featured several Hawks.

Hawthorn had a hiccup at the start of the Round 16 game with Collingwood at Princes Park, conceding the first five goals. The Hawks had already pulled two goals back before a brilliant running effort from Michael Tuck late in the opening term set the home crowd alight. This was the precursor to a brilliant 8.5 to 1.5 second quarter from the Hawks. Gary Ayres provided a last quarter highlight when he collected the ball on the half-back line, leisurely ran through the centre and then kicked a long goal to the outer end. Hawthorn won 19.23.137 to 14.16.100, with Peter Knights kicking four goals and Leigh Matthews three. Ayres, Dipierdomenico and Tuck headed a long list of best players.

Hawthorn’s only game at the MCG in the 1983 home and away season, against Richmond in Round 17, saw Leigh Matthews at his brilliant best, kicking five opening quarter goals, as the Hawks piled on 8.2 to 3.1. The game then meandered somewhat for the next two quarters, allowing Richmond to get within 16 points early in the last quarter. However, Hawthorn then responded by unleashing a stunning burst of eight gaols in eight minutes to win 22.14.146 to 11.16.82. The Hawthorn style was described in The Age as ‘running in waves’ and ‘striding to goal by the shortest possible route’, with the result being that it had become ‘a tough, cohesive, resilient and opportunistic unit, based on granite-like defence which, in an instant, transforms into an attacking springboard’. Wallace, Mew, Ayres, Moore and Buckenara starred for the Hawks.

The run of six consecutive wins from Rounds 12 to 17 had taken Hawthorn from a perilous 6-5 at half-way to a healthy 12-5 record. However, there was one big negative arising from the Richmond game, with Michael Tuck having dislocated a finger which required surgery and would rule him out for three weeks.

This was particularly significant as the following Saturday the second-placed Hawthorn was due to play in a top-of-the table clash against League leaders, North Melbourne.

Next up tomorrow – Hawks secure the double chance – Rounds 18 to 22 of Hawthorn’s 1983 season.