This Saturday, Hawthorn will be seeking to end a six-game losing sequence against Fremantle.

The good news is that Hawthorn’s most recent win against Fremantle came on the same date, Saturday, 13 July and at the same venue, University of Tasmania Stadium, as this week’s match.

The game played five years ago this Saturday (albeit one round earlier -Round 17 rather than Round 18) saw Hawthorn record a 31-point win – 12.12.84 to 8.5.53. Luke Breust kicked three goals, as did 20-year-old Mitch Lewis, a new career-high in his 10th AFL game. Another 20-year-old, James Worpel, received 10 Coaches’ votes for his 33-disposal game.

Despite the recent run of poor results, Hawthorn still has an outstanding overall record against Fremantle, leading the head-to-head 28 to 14. Further, Hawthorn has had three sequences of six consecutive wins against Fremantle.

This Saturday will be the 12th occasion the two clubs have met at University of Tasmania Stadium which will see the Dockers join Brisbane Lions as the Hawks’ most common opponent at the venue. Hawthorn holds a 10-1 win-loss record against Fremantle in Tasmania, the only defeat coming in the most recent clash in 2021.

The Hawks have the chance to secure another winning University of Tasmania season in the third of the four games there in 2024. 

The club last had a losing Launceston season way back in 2005 and with two wins already this season that record is staying intact. Now the challenge is to make it the 14th winning season since then, rather than adding to the drawn seasons. Hawthorn’s overall record in 80 games at University of Tasmania Stadium is 59 wins, one draw and just 20 defeats.

Both Launceston victories this season have been by narrow margins, taking Hawthorn’s record in games decided by six points or fewer in Launceston to 10-3, and in games decided by 12 points or fewer to 16-6.

Josh Weddle has now played 33 consecutive games since his debut in Round 7 last season, the fourth highest number of consecutive games from debut for any Hawthorn VFL-AFL debutant in the past 50 years. The only three with longer streaks from debut from the 1970s onwards are David O’Halloran (74 games), John Platten (59) and Cyril Rioli (36), so Weddle is in some outstanding company.

Several players recruited from other VFL-AFL clubs in the past few decades have had lengthy sequences of games from their Hawthorn debut headed by Tony Woods (55 games), Aaron Lord (53) and Stephen Gilham (50). 

For the second successive week, Hawthorn has had its second highest ever attendance at a venue. 

In Round 16, the Hawks’ crowd of 49,454 was its second highest at Optus Stadium and last Saturday’s Round 17 crowd of 33,188 was the second highest for a Hawthorn game at GMHBA Stadium. These two second-highest attendances follow the club’s second highest home and away crowd of all time at the MCG in Round 14.

 
Hawthorn has an outstanding recent record in Round 18, with 11 wins, a draw (in 2021) and just one defeat in the last 13 matches played in the round. 

Overall, Hawthorn has played 96 Round 18 matches (there were no Round 18’s in 1925, 1942 or 1943) for 43 wins, 52 defeats and one draw.

10 years ago, in Round 18 2014, a Saturday night MCG crowd of 72,768 saw Hawthorn come from behind at half-time to defeat League-leaders Sydney by 10 points -15.14.104 to 13.16.94. Jarryd Roughead kicked four goals, with Luke Breust and Isaac Smith each contributing three. Jordan Lewis continued his outstanding season, securing 10 Coaches’ votes. Alex Woodward made his debut as the sub.

40 years ago, in Round 18 1984, Peter Curran was the star in a dramatic last quarter against Carlton at Princes Park. Hawthorn had dashed away to a 39-point quarter time lead, but the Blues gradually got back in the game to lead by more than two goals early in the final term. Enter Curran, who proceeded to kick five last quarter goals out of a team total of 10 as the Hawks won by 32 points – 21.14.140 to 16.12.108. Ken Judge also kicked five goals for the game, while other stars were Michael Byrne and Russell Greene.

50 years ago, in Round 18 1974, Hawthorn also played Carlton at Princes Park. The Hawks produced a 7.6 to 2.3 third term to turn around a 16 point half time deficit, having been given extra incentive after former skipper David Parkin received some heavy treatment from the Blues. Leigh Matthews, Peter Crimmins, John Hendrie, Des Meagher and Leon Rice were among the best for the Hawks.

60 years ago, in Round 18 1964, Hawthorn provided the opposition for what proved to be Richmond’s last game at Punt Road Oval, spoiling the occasion for the Tigers with a comfortable 16.19.115 to 9.18.72 win. John Peck kicked three goals to wrap up the leading goalkicker title for the second consecutive season. It completed an unlucky season for Hawthorn, finishing fifth with a 13-5 record, just one win behind top team Melbourne to whom it had lost by four points the previous week.

This round also marks the 20th anniversary of Donald McDonald taking over as interim coach of Hawthorn, in Round 18 2004, after Peter Schwab decided not to coach out the rest of the season. The change did not produce a dramatic improvement as the Hawks went down to Melbourne by 44 points. 

Mark Williams holds the record for most goals by a Hawthorn player against the Dockers, kicking eight against them in Round 1 2006 in Launceston.

Peter Hudson holds the Hawthorn Round 18 record with a tally of nine against St Kilda in 1970. The previous highest before Hudson had come 30 years earlier when Jim Bohan kicked eight in 1940.