This Sunday Liam Shiels will equal the Hawthorn record for the most games played wearing number 26.

The record is currently held by Rodney Eade who wore number 26 in 229 games from 1976 to 1987. Both Eade and Shiels are multiple Premiership players with Eade a member of the 1976, 1978, 1983 and 1986 Flag-winning teams and Shiels an important member of the three-peat of 2013-14-15. Other notable Hawthorn number 26s were Peter Hudson and Cam McPherson.

Also on guernsey numbers, this week club skipper, Ben McEvoy will become the holder of outright second place for the most games wearing number 7. McEvoy currently sits in equal second place with Luke McCabe, with both having played 138 games in number 7, although both are a long way behind Gary Ayres’ record of 269 games wearing number 7.

This round marks the tenth anniversary of Luke Breust’s debut. In Round 8 2011, Breust was named as the sub against St Kilda at the MCG, but got an early opportunity when Stephen Gilham was injured. Breust kicked two second half goals as Hawthorn overcame a sluggish start to win by 30 points – 14.15.99 to 10.9.69.

Breust has played 227 games, which means he has the remarkable record of only missing eight of a possible 235 games since his debut (four of the eight were last season). His 420 goals places him ninth on the Hawthorn all-time goalkicking list.

VFL player by player: Sam's rundown of each listed Hawk

Emerson Jeka has become the first Hawthorn player recorded as being recruited from Altona for 95 years. The only previous Altona recruit was Bill Brown, known by the nickname ‘Snowy’, who made his Hawthorn debut as a 20-year-old in Round 12 1926 in an eight-point loss to Carlton at Glenferrie. The following week, Brown played in a draw against North Melbourne which proved to be the best result in his 12-game Hawthorn career as all his other matches ended in defeat.

Hawthorn and West Coast have played 53 times, with the Hawks winning 24 and losing 29. However, at the MCG, Hawthorn holds a 6-2 advantage. The Hawks’ six wins were all by significant margins ranging from 25 points (2012) to 80 points (2001), while the defeats were by ten points (2006) and six points (2019).

Hawthorn biggest win against West Coast at the MCG came in the two clubs first meeting at the venue which was exactly 20 years ago this round – in Round 8 2001.

The Hawks won 21.12.138 to 8.10.58 with the goals shared amongst 13 individual goalkickers, headed by Kris Barlow, Angelo Lekkas and Nathan Thompson with three apiece. Leading possession-getters were Shane Crawford, Daniel Harford, Brett Johnson and Rayden Tallis, while the three Brownlow votes were awarded to Joel Smith.

This was Hawthorn’s eighth consecutive win, comfortably ahead of the previous record winning sequence to start a season which was five, recorded in 1971, 1975, 1976 and 1984. The new record was subsequently broken when the 2008 Hawks won the first nine games of the season.

Last Saturday was the first time for 56 years that Hawthorn had failed to score in the opening quarter of a game in Victoria. While the Hawks have had scoreless first quarters in three other states in the past two decades, the last scoreless opening quarter in Victoria was way back in Round 1 1965.

That 1965 game was played in front of a record Glenferrie crowd of 36,000 who packed the ground to see Ron Barassi’s first game as Carlton’s captain-coach. Carlton kicked 6.5 to 0.0 in the first quarter, but from then the Hawks were more competitive, finally losing by 37 points.

Hawthorn has won 10 of its last 14 matches in Round 8, with the oddity that all four losses were against Sydney - in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2020. Overall, in Round 8 Hawthorn has recorded 48 wins and 47 defeats (with a bye in 1992).

30 years ago, in Round 8 1991, Hawthorn comfortably beat Carlton, 18.14.122 to 11.12.78. James Morrissey kicked a career-high six goals for the Hawks.

40 years ago, in Round 8, 1981, the Hawks prevailed by 29 points against Fitzroy at Princes Park – 21.18.144 to 16.19.115. Norm Goss was brilliant with six goals, one of which came from him calling for a handball from his former South Melbourne teammate Terry O’Neill.

50 years ago, in Round 8 1971, Hawthorn thrashed North Melbourne at Waverley by 95 points – 22.15.147 to 7.10.52. The Hawks led by 114 points at the final change, after a 10.4 to 0.1 third quarter, but eased off in the final term. Peter Hudson kicked seven goals and captain David Parkin was rated best-on-ground. The victory took the Hawks to the top of the ladder for the first time in the 1971 season.

90 years ago, in Round 8 1931, Hawthorn came from 10 points down at three quarter-time to defeat Fitzroy by 24 points at Glenferrie – 12.8.80 to 7.14.56. Bert Hyde kicked six goals but the plaudits for best-on-ground went to Ernest ‘Tich’ Utting, with The Age commenting that ‘on days when conditions are difficult, Hawthorn have never had a finer player than the veteran Utiing’. On a vote of the players, Utting received a gold medal from a Mr Dwyer in honour of his performance.

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. Peter Hudson holds the Hawthorn record for most goals in Round 8, having kicked 13 goals against South Melbourne in 1970.