This Friday night, Hawthorn will play Adelaide for the 50th time.
The two clubs first played in Adelaide’s inaugural AFL game in Round 1 1991 and now after 49 meetings to date, Hawthorn leads the head-to-head 27 to 22.
Hawthorn’s best winning sequence against Adelaide was seven from 2012 to 2016.
Hawthorn’s first ever Launceston game was against this week’s opponent Adelaide in Round 6 2001. The Hawks won 16.8.104 to 12.19.91. John Barker kicked three goals and midfielders, Daniel Harford and Tony Woods both accumulated 26 disposals.
The Hawks and Crows have met six times at University of Tasmania Stadium with Hawthorn having a 4-2 advantage. The past two encounters were both decided by three points, with the Hawks winning in 2021, but losing in 2023.
The 2001 game against Adelaide was not Hawthorn’s first game in Tasmania.
That was a decade earlier in Round 6 1991 when the Hawks played Fitzroy at North Hobart Oval and proceeded to kick what remains the club’s record score of 36.15.231. The goal-kickers were headed by Ben Allan (7), Darren Jarman (7), Jason Dunstall (6), Paul Hudson (5) and Anthony Condon (4). At the time, the winning margin of 157 was also a club record, but it has subsequently been eclipsed by margins of 165 (Port Adelaide 2011), 162 (GWS 2012) and 160 (Essendon 1992).
Jack Gunston is poised to enter the top 20 in the Hawthorn career games list. Last Thursday night was Gunston’s 239th game in the brown and gold, and his next game will see him join Robert Dipierdomenico on 240 games, in equal 20th place on the all-time list.
Victory this week will see Hawthorn create its second longest winning sequence at University of Tasmania Stadium. The Hawks’ most recent defeat at the venue was the Round 6 2023 three-point loss to Adelaide. Since then, Hawthorn has won seven in a row, equaling a similar sequence from 2010-11.
However, there is still a way to go to match the record of 19 consecutive victories from 2012 to 2016. Overall, at University of Tasmania Stadium, Hawthorn has played 83 games, with results of 62 wins, one draw and just 20 defeats.
Hawthorn has played 96 matches in Round 14, recording 47 wins and 49 losses (having byes in 1993, 1994, 2022 and 2023). The club’s results in Round 14 were poor in its early years, before a breakthrough win against Fitzroy in 1937.
Things really began improving in John Kennedy’s coaching era when Hawthorn won 13 of 14, including all ten in his second period in charge from 1967 to 1976. The Hawks also had nine consecutive Round 14 victories from 2010 to 2018. Last season in Round 14, Hawthorn defeated Richmond by 48 points.
10 years ago, in Round 14 2015, Hawthorn’s Friday night game against Collingwood was overshadowed by the tragic death of Adelaide coach, Phil Walsh, on game day. There were no banners, and no club songs played, with the end of the game marked by players from both teams linking arms and forming a circle in the centre of the ground to reflect on the tragedy.
A crowd of 75,880 saw Hawthorn, despite falling nine points behind early in the final term, win by 10 points – 15.11.101 to 12.19.91 – winning every quarter by narrow margins. Cyril Rioli was brilliant with five goals and Jordan Lewis (36 disposals) led an outstanding midfield group.
50 years ago, in Round 14 1975, a crowd of 14,008 braved the wintery conditions at Waverley to see Hawthorn 9.10.64 defeat lowly South Melbourne 5.9.39. Several other games that day were much less affected by rain, most notably the one involving Hawthorn’s rival for top spot on the ladder, Carlton, who booted an incredible 14.1 in the second quarter alone, in a fiery clash with Essendon at Windy Hill.
In the absence of Leigh Matthews, the League’s leading goalkicker in 1975, on State duty, the Hawks’ main source of goals was Ian Scrimshaw who booted a career high four. Recruited from Blackburn, Scrimshaw, the uncle of current Hawk Jack, played 19 games for the club in 1974-75, before continuing his career at Richmond where he was an unlucky omission from that club’s 1980 Premiership team. The best players also included Bohdan Jaworskyj, Ian Bremner, Alan Martello, Kelvin Matthews and Geoff Ablett.
70 years ago, in Round 14 1955, Hawthorn defeated South Melbourne by 20 points – 10.11.71 to 6.15.51. John Peck kicked four goals and Kevin Coghlan three, with other good players including Don Gent and John O’Mahony.
80 years ago, in Round 14 1945, the Hawks prevailed by 24 points against an accurate St Kilda – 15.15.105 to 13.3.81. Alec Albiston kicked five goals and Jim Bohan four,
Box Hill deserves a mention this week as it was a special milestone for the club last Saturday, game number 1400 since joining the VFA/ VFL in 1951. The victory against Frankston made it 645 wins, 735 losses and 20 draws.
Jason Dunstall holds the Hawthorn individual goal-kicking record against Adelaide, kicking nine goals on three separate occasions – in 1993 and 1994 (both at Football Park) and in 1996 (at Waverley).
Peter Hudson holds the Hawthorn Round 14 individual goals record, booting 12 against Footscray at Glenferrie in 1968.
