This week marks 80 years since Hawthorn became the Hawks.

It was on Saturday, 15 May 1943 that coach Roy Cazaly announced before a game against Essendon that the club’s nickname would be changing from Mayblooms to Hawks.

Last Saturday, Cameron Mackenzie and Josh Weddle became the first pair of young Hawks to kick their first AFL goals in the same quarter for 14 years.

The most recent case had been against Port Adelaide at Football Park in Round 18 2009, when Josh Kennedy and Brendan Whitecross kicked their first goals in the first quarter of an 18-point defeat.

In the intervening years, there were several cases of two players kicking their first Hawthorn goals in the same quarter, but all involved at least one player who had kicked an AFL goal at another club.

These instances included Cameron Bruce and Matt Suckling in 2011; Tim O’Brien and Ben McEvoy in 2014; and Fergus Greene and Karl Amon in Round 1 this season.

This Sunday, Hawthorn plays in its second bottom-two clash for the season after losing its previous one to Geelong in Round 4.

Hawthorn’s most recent bottom-two encounter win was against Melbourne in Round 2 2007. Hawthorn had 27 years without playing in a bottom-two clash from 1971 to 1997 and also had a 13-season period without one from 2008 to 2020.

The game against West Coast will just be the third occasion in which Hawthorn has played in a bottom-two encounter against a non-Victorian club, the previous two both being against Brisbane Lions in 1998, both of which resulted in Hawthorn wins.

Luke Breust has now played 268 games which means his next appearance will see him join Gary Ayres and Jason Dunstall in equal tenth on the Hawthorn games’ list with 269 games.

Seamus Mitchell played an excellent game last Saturday, but Hawthorn’s defeat means he has begun his career playing in five consecutive losses.

However, this is nowhere near a Hawthorn record.

This century, Josh Thurgood played his whole 13-game career from 2005 to 2007 without experiencing a victory.

Further back, Barry Griffiths did not experience a win in 25 games (1950-52), nor did Roly Tasker in 21 games (1928-29).

Club legend, John Kennedy Snr. suffered defeats in the first 20 matches he played in 1950-51, an experience which inspired a burning desire to make Hawthorn successful and saw him, as captain, lead the team to the finals for the first time in 1957 and, as coach, to the club’s first flag in 1961.

Hawthorn and West Coast have played 55 times, with the Hawks winning 25 and losing 30.

However, at University of Tasmania Stadium, Hawthorn holds a 5-2 advantage, including recording wins in the past four games against the Eagles there, the most recent of which was in 2014.

Remarkably, this Sunday sees Hawthorn playing on 21 May for the first time since 1983. All nine of the previous Hawthorn games played on 21 May were on Saturdays and only resulted in two victories, in 1938 and 1977.

Hawthorn has won nine of its past 12 Round 10 matches, including defeating Brisbane Lions by five points in Launceston in Round 10 last season.

Overall, this round has been one of Hawthorn’s best with 50 wins and 47 losses from 97 Round 10 games, having had the bye in 2020.

10 years ago, in Round 10 2013, Hawthorn thrashed Melbourne at the MCG by 95 points – 21.17.143 to 6.12.48.

Luke Breust kicked five goals and Jarryd Roughead booted three, while Brad Sewell go the three Brownlow votes for his 31-disposal game.

30 years ago, in Round 10 1993, fifth-placed Hawthorn travelled to the Western Oval to take on sixth-placed Footscray and won by 70 points – 20.12.132 to 9.8.62.

Jason Dunstall kicked eight goals, including one of the goals of the season, and Paul Hudson contributed four.

John Platten and Anthony Condon were outstanding in the midfield.

40 years ago, in Round 10 1983, Hawthorn picked a debutant, 20-year-old Chris Langford who, in a promising debut, had 20 disposals and kicked a goal, in the first game of a stellar 303-game career.

The Hawks trailed Melbourne by 27 points in the second quarter, but after hitting the lead early in the third quarter, charged away to a 62-point victory - 27.9.171 to 16.13.109.

Ken Judge kicked seven goals, including four in an eight-minute burst.

60 years ago, in Round 10 1963, Hawthorn won the football game, but lost the services of one of the most brilliant players in the club’s history.

Brendan Edwards, best-on-ground in Hawthorn’s 1961 Grand Final win, had quit football in 1962 to devote himself to a new fitness centre he was developing, but returned in 1963.

Edwards was in career-best form against Richmond at Punt Road when in the third quarter, he suffered a serious knee injury, and never played again.

Hawthorn won the game 11.14.80 to 4.10.34.

70 years ago, in Round 10 1953, Hawthorn recorded one of just three wins for the season defeating Melbourne by 28 points at the MCG – 16.6.102 to 10.14.74, after setting up the victory with a stunning 8.2 to 1.0 first quarter.

The goalkickers were headed by Tom Allsop (4), John O’Mahony (4) and Keith White (3). 

Jarryd Roughead set a new club record of eight goals against West Coast in Launceston in 2014, passing Jason Dunstall, who had kicked seven against the Eagles in both 1988 and 1989.

Lance Franklin holds the Hawthorn individual goalkicking record for Round 10 with his 13 goals against North Melbourne in 2012 surpassing the previous round record of nine, held jointly by Peter Knights (1985), Paul Hudson (1991) and Jason Dunstall (1998), against Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon respectively.