On Friday night, Blake Hardwick will become the 38^th player to make 200 appearances for Hawthorn.

Hardwick is the first Hawk to celebrate the 200-game milestone since Jack Gunston played his 200^th game for the club in an upset win against Geelong on Easter Monday 2022, and Hardwick is the third to reach the milestone in Round 1, following Rodney Eade in 1986 and Darrin Pritchard in 1997.

Hardwick’s milestone will move Hawthorn into outright fourth in the competition for most 200-gamers, behind only Geelong (43), Carlton (40) and Collingwood (39).

And the good news is that Hawthorn has an outstanding 27-10 win-loss record in 200-game milestone games, including an 11-2 record in the past 20 years.

The history of significant debutants in Round 1 in years ending in 6 stretches back 100 years to Round 1 1926, when the club’s first 200-game player Ted Pool made his debut in a 20-point defeat by Carlton.

70 years ago, in Round 1 1956, Brendan Edwards played his first League game. It was not a great day for Edwards, as not only did Hawthorn lose to Collingwood, but he also ruptured a thigh and did not return until Round 11. However, he was then judged the best player in the club’s first ever final series in 1957 and was best-on-ground in the Hawks first-ever premiership in 1961. Another 1961 Premiership player, Les Kaine, also debuted in Round 1 1956.

60 years ago, in Round 1 1966, the late great Peter Crimmins represented Hawthorn for the first time. Crimmins made a promising debut in a loss to Collingwood, gathering 13 kicks and booting two goals. Three other 1971 Premiership players - Des Meagher, Michael Porter and Ray Wilson – also debuted in the same game as Crimmins.

Two individuals who became Premiership players by the end of the season debuted 50 years ago, in Round 1 1976, with David O’Halloran and Peter Murnane, beginning their careers in Hawthorn’s 22-point win against St Kilda at Moorabbin.

40 years ago, in Round 1, 1986, one of Hawthorn’s all-time greats, John Platten, made his debut. The opponents at Waverley that Easter Monday were Carlton, who had been on a massive recruiting spree and were warm favourites both before the game and after taking an early lead. However, Hawthorn gradually got on top to win 17.11.113 to 11.11.77. Platten received two Brownlow votes for his outstanding 24 disposals and one goal game.

20 years ago, in Round 1 2006, Hawthorn had two future Premiership players – Brent Guerra and Grant Birchall – debut in the Round 1 win against Fremantle in Launceston.

For the second time in his three years at the club, Jack Ginnivan kicked Hawthorn’s first goal of the season, having previously done so in 2024. He thus became the first Hawk to kick the opening goal in more than one season since Michael Osborne did it in three consecutive seasons from 2008 to 2010. This week, Ginnivan plays his 50^th game for the club, having thus far played 49 of a possible 52 games since his arrival, kicking 59 goals.

The Hawthorn team which faced GWS contained only two changes from the Preliminary Final team last September. This is the fewest number of changes from the last game of one season to the first game of the next, since there were also two changes from the 1986 Grand Final to Round 1, 1987. Last Saturday’s team was also the first time that there has not been an AFL or club debutant in the Hawthorn team in the first game of the season since 1990.

While last Saturday’s result was disappointing, it is important to remember that five of Hawthorn’s 13 Premiership teams lost their opening games.

Hawthorn began 1961 with a 25-point loss at Glenferrie to a South Melbourne team which only won four more games for the season. Narrow losses in 1988 and 1989, and an 86-point thrashing by Adelaide in 1991, contributed to an 11-season period from 1987 to 1997 when the Hawks won the Flag in the three seasons they lost in Round 1 and did not win the Flag in the eight seasons they won in Round 1. Hawthorn’s most recent Premiership season-opening game defeat was in 2013.

Hawthorn has the opportunity to win consecutive games against Essendon for the first time since 2018. After a brace of wins in 2018, the Hawks have won just two of the past eight against the Bombers, including a 24-point win in Round 1 last season. Overall, the two clubs have met 170 times, with the Hawks winning 67 and the Bombers 103.

Five years ago, in Round 1 2021, Hawthorn trailed Essendon by 40 points late in the second quarter at Docklands, but stormed back to win by one point – 14.8.92 to 13.13.91. Tim O’Brien kicked the winning goal, while Tom Mitchell, Jaeger O’Meara and Will Day were among the best for the Hawks.

Last Saturday’s attendance of 16,157 was a record for a home and away game against the Giants at the Sydney Showground, beating the previous record of 13,766 from 2016. This week, the expectation is that the record of 80,735 for a home and away game against Essendon, which was only set last season, will be surpassed.

Jason Dunstall holds the club individual goal-kicking record against Essendon with 12 in 1992. Other big bags against the Bombers were 11 by Leigh Matthews in 1973 and 10 by Michael Moncrieff in 1972.

Dunstall also holds the club record for Round 1, having kicked 12 goals against Geelong in the opening rounds of both 1990 and 1992. Others to reach double figures in Round 1 were Alec Albiston (10 in 1940), Peter Hudson (10 in 1968) and Leigh Matthews (11 in 1981).