This round marks the 50th anniversary of Hawthorn great Robert Di Pierdomenico's Hawthorn debut.
In Round 18 1975, Di Pierdomenico made his debut aged just 17 years and 88 days, the sixth youngest debutant in the club’s VFL-AFL history, behind only John Peck, Garry Young, Colin Judd, Roy Baldwin and Peter Knights
Di Pierdomenico, wearing number 38, came on as the 20th man, replacing Kelvin Steel, and collected four kicks in his time on the ground. It was not a great day for the Hawks as their 11-game winning streak came to an end, with a shock 34-point loss to Fitzroy at the Junction Oval.
Di Pierdomenico's debut was something of a cameo, as he did not return to the senior team for another two and a half seasons, in Round 1 1978. He then went on to play 240 games, being an integral part of five Premierships teams and winning a Brownlow Medal.
Jarman Impey is poised to move into equal second place in games played in the number 4 guernsey for Hawthorn. Impey will this week join Ken Beck on 137 games in the number. Impey has played his whole Hawthorn career in number 4, whereas Beck played the first six games of his 143-game career (1962-72) in number 34. The games record holder for number 4 is Peter Russo with 162 games.
No game between Hawthorn and Fremantle has ever been decided by under a goal. The closest margin between the clubs has been nine points, once each way, with the Dockers winning by that margin at Waverley in 1997 and Hawthorn doing so in Launceston in 2004.
Hawthorn has an excellent overall record against Fremantle, leading the head-to-head 29 to 14 from 43 games. However, Fremantle did win six consecutive games against the Hawks from 2020 to 2023, a sequence ended by Hawthorn’s 13-point win in Launceston last season.
Hawthorn has had three separate sequences of six consecutive wins against Fremantle.
The four Coaches’ votes apiece received by Lloyd Meek and Tom Barrass for the St Kilda game was an equal low for the highest votes received by a Hawthorn player in a win. The previous occasions were Round 6 2013, when Josh Gibson and Luke Hodge both received four votes in 11-point win against Adelaide at Football Park, and Round 23 2016. when the Hawks defeated Collingwood by one point at the MCG and Luke Breust was the sole Hawk with as many as four votes.
Hawthorn won its first away games against Fremantle at three Western Australian venues, Subiaco, the WACA Ground and Perth Stadium (by 57, 42 and 59 points).
In the first away game against Fremantle at Subiaco in Round 10 1996, the Hawks led by 10 points at three quarter-time, then kicked 7.5 to 0.0 in the last quarter to win 17.8.110 to 7.11.53. Jason Dunstall and Darren Kappler both kicked three goals, while mature-aged WA recruit Craig Trevelen was excellent with 27 disposals and a goal. Having had just two wins and a draw from the first nine rounds, this victory was the start of a revival for the 1996 Hawks, which led to an unlikely Finals’ appearance.
Two years later, in Round 7 1998, Hawthorn 15.9.99 defeated Fremantle 8.9.57 in the two clubs’ only WACA Ground meeting, the Hawks setting up the victory with a 6.1 to 0.2 opening term. Jason Dunstall and Ben Dixon both kicked three goals, with Richard Taylor having 30 disposals and kicking a goal.
Hawthorn’s first Perth Stadium game against Fremantle in Round 19 2018 produced a remarkably similar score to the first Subiaco one with the Hawks winning 17.10.112 to 7.11.53. The Brownlow votes went to Tom Mitchell (42 disposals and two goals), Jaeger O’Meara (33 disposals and one goal) and Luke Breust (four goals).
Since that debut win in 2018, the Hawks have lost their past four games against the Dockers at Perth Stadium, three of them by very similar margins (16, 15 and 13) before a comprehensive 69-point defeat on the last visit in 2023.
Overall, at Perth Stadium the Hawks have a 4-5 record, with a 2-1 record against West Coast there, plus a victory over Carlton in 2020.
Hawthorn has an outstanding recent record in Round 18, with 12 wins, a draw (in 2021) and just one defeat (in 2015) in the last 14 matches played in the round.
Overall, Hawthorn has played 97 Round 18 matches (there were no Round 18s in 1925, 1942 or 1943) for 44 wins, 52 defeats and one draw.
Hawthorn and Fremantle have met more often in Round 18 than in any other round, with Saturday becoming the seventh occasion. The six previous meetings in the round have seen honours shared with three wins apiece with the Hawks winning the first at Waverley in 1999 and the most recent at University of Tasmania Stadium last season.
Whereas last week’s column documented the outstanding record of Hawthorn in Round 17 in years ending in 5, unfortunately Round 18 is the reverse. Hawthorn has lost its last eight games in Round 18 in years ending in five, with the only win way back in 1935.
90 years ago, in Round 18 1935, Hawthorn made it three wins in a row for the first time since joining the League in 1925, following up victories against Essendon and Geelong with a 14-point success against Fitzroy at Glenferrie – 14.26.110 to 15.6.96. Hawthorn had trailed by 20 points at quarter-time with a remarkable scoreline of 2.10-7.0, with Fitzroy reaching 10-straight before registering a behind, a stark contrast to the Mayblooms’ inaccuracy.
The Age reported that Stan Spinks was Hawthorn’s ‘most consistent and effective player’ giving ‘a clean and polished exhibition’. Jack Green kicked five goals, including four in the third quarter, to finish with 63 for the season.
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.
