Some big anniversaries highlight this week’s Footy Flashbacks – a goal after the siren, the club’s first win by over 100 points and a champion full-forward reaching 100 goals for the season.
It was 20 years ago this round, in Round 17 2001, that Ben Dixon joined the select group to have kicked a goal after the siren to win a game for Hawthorn.
This had only previously been done by John Peck to achieve the Hawks’ first win at Victoria Park in 1960 and by Gary Buckenara in the 1987 Preliminary Final, and it has not happened since.
In 2001, it had already been a day of drama, with Peter Schwab forced to pull out of the coaching role for the day after suffering a health issue and assistant Chris Connolly taking charge. A crowd of 52,472 at the MCG saw Carlton gradually take control of the match, pushing the margin out to 20 points by three quarter time.
The Hawks still trailed by 16 points half-way through the last quarter but goals to Steven Greene and Trent Croad set up a grandstand finish. Ben Dixon took a mark seconds before the final siren and then kicked truly. Hawthorn won 15.6.96 to 13.15.93, with Dixon and Aaron Lord both contributing four goals.
50 years ago, in Round 17 1971, Hawthorn recorded its first ever victory by 100 points or more and Peter Hudson reached 100 goals for the season.
Hawthorn defeated Footscray by 115 points – 23.16.154 to 4.15.39 - to make it 16 wins from 17 games in 1971, the irony being that the sole loss had been to the Bulldogs earlier in the season.
Hudson became the first player in VFL history to reach 100 goals in four consecutive seasons. He started the day on 97 goals and reached the ton during the third quarter, then added another six to finish with nine for the day.
In the 46 seasons prior to 1971, Hawthorn had suffered 13 defeats by 100 points or more and now for the first time there was a victory by that margin for Hawks’ fans to savour. It started a new trend for in the next 50 years, Hawthorn has recorded a further 26 wins by 100-plus point margins, compared to just six more defeats by 100 or more points, making the balance now 27-19 in Hawthorn’s favour.
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It is almost exactly 20 years since Hawthorn last lost a home game to Fremantle. In fact,
Hawthorn has only suffered two defeats in 18 home games against Fremantle, at Waverley in Round 17 1997 and at Docklands in Round 18 2001.
The run of 12 consecutive home wins includes all 10 of the previous encounters between the clubs at University of Tasmania Stadium, with the winning margins ranging from nine points (2004) to 115 points (2010).
The first game against Fremantle in Launceston was in Round 3 2002, with Hawthorn winning by 10 points – 13.11.89 to 11.13.79. The Hawks’ captain Shane Crawford got the three Brownlow votes for his 29-disposal game. The Hawks won the most recent Launceston clash in Round 17 2019 by 31 points – 12.12.84 to 8.5.53.
This Saturday, Hawthorn will be trying to avoid losing three consecutive games to Fremantle for the first time. The Hawks have only lost two consecutive games to the Dockers twice, firstly a pair of defeats in 1997 and the current sequence of two which began at Optus Stadium last season and continued there in Round 4 this season. Overall, the Hawks and Dockers have played 38 times, with the head-to-head favouring Hawthorn 28 to 10.
Another negative trio Hawthorn will be trying to avoid this week is losing three consecutive games in Launceston for first time since 2004-05. After beating Adelaide at University of Tasmania Stadium in Round 6 this season, the Hawks have subsequently lost there to North Melbourne and Essendon. Hawthorn won 19 consecutive Launceston games from 2012 to 2016.
Last Saturday night’s attendance of 18,251 for Shaun Burgoyne’s 400th game was the biggest of the round. It was the fourth time this season that Hawthorn has been a participant in the game which attracted the largest crowd of the round. It previously happened in Rounds 3, 10 and 14, in games against Geelong, Carlton and Essendon, with the Hawks also having the second biggest crowds in Rounds 2 and 5.
Hawthorn has played 93 games in Round 17 for 37 wins, one draw and 55 defeats, a deficit of 18 which is the club’s equal worst for any round, shared with Round 2.
Hawthorn won five consecutive Round 17 games from 2012 to 2016 but lost three of its past four in the round, the only success coming in 2019, with the 31-point victory against Fremantle at University of Tasmania Stadium.
30 years ago, in Round 17 1991, Hawthorn defeated Sydney at the SCG by 11 points – 15.24.114 to 14.19.103. The Hawks were nine points down at the final change but responded with a 5.5 to 2.3 last quarter. Jason Dunstall kicked five goals and Paul Hudson three.
60 years ago, in Round 17 1961, a crowd of 34,500 packed Glenferrie and saw Hawthorn’s highest-scoring game of the season. Scores were level at 11.5 apiece at three quarter time but the Hawks surged clear with an 8.1 to 3.2 last term to win 19.6.120 to 14.7.91. Graham Arthur, John Peck and Garry Young all kicked four goals.
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 has kicked the most goals for Hawthorn in Round 17, a tally of 10 recorded against St Kilda at Waverley in 1977.
