Hawthorn Football Club
Encyclopedia
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 club in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 (AFL). The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys
Guernsey (clothing)
A guernsey, or gansey, is a seaman's knitted woollen sweater, similar to a jersey, which originated in the Channel Island of the same name.-Origins:...

. The club's motto is spectemur agendo
Spectemur agendo
-Source:It comes originally from Book XIII of Ovid's Metamorphoses where it is attributed to the hero Ajax:Denique spectemur agendo! which most literal translations render as...

, loosely translating to "let us be judged by our acts".

Statistically, Hawthorn is the most successful club in the modern era, having won a Premiership in each of the last five decades with a total of 10 Premierships in 50 years, including the 2008 Premiership and playing in seven consecutive AFL Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...

s between 1983 and 1989, a VFL/AFL record.

The Hawks' origins are in the inner-eastern Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn
Hawthorn, Victoria
Hawthorn is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...

 and also at Glenferrie Oval
Glenferrie Oval
Glenferrie Oval is an Australian rules football stadium located in Hawthorn, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.It is the historic home of and is synonymous with the Hawthorn Football Club, who played there from 1903 and as a VFL/AFL club from 1925–1973, and retained the ground as an...

, the club's former administrative and training base and social club. Matches, however, have not been played there since 1973. In 2006, Hawthorn's training and administration facilties were relocated to Waverley Park
Waverley Park
Waverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of...

 in the middle of the club's major supporter base in Melbourne's outer-eastern region. Since 2007 Hawthorn have played four games a year at their second ground of York Park in Launceston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...

, Tasmania with the remaining games played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

, the club's current playing home ground. Hawthorn's current Victorian Football League
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...

 (VFL) affiliate team is the Box Hill Hawks Football Club.

Obscure and disputed origins

The origins of the Hawthorn Football Club are obscure – very few records were kept and the early history is subject to interpretation, embellishment and historical revisionism
Historical revisionism (negationism)
Historical revisionism is either the legitimate scholastic re-examination of existing knowledge about a historical event, or the illegitimate distortion of the historical record such that certain events appear in a more or less favourable light. For the former, i.e. the academic pursuit, see...

.

The official club history books and many supporters strongly believe that the club's origins date back to its founding in 1873 at a meeting at the Hawthorne Hotel.
Although a Hawthorn Football Club did indeed form at this time – and the region has since continuously been represented by a football team – it was not the Hawthorn which competes at AFL level today. It is likely that today's club is actually the third club to carry the name "Hawthorn Football Club". In The Daily Telegraph of 12 May 1883 it is stated that "The Hawthorn Club having disbanded, all engagements for the ensuing season have been cancelled." In 1889 the Riversdale Football Club (formed in 1880) is reported to have changed its name to the Hawthorn Football Club. This club also ceased in 1890. No Hawthorn club existed from 1890 to 1892.

A new representative club, called the "Hawthorn Football Club", was formed in 1893. It competed in the Victorian Jnr. Football Association until 1898. Without a ground to play on, however, the club was disbanded in 1899.

Modern club founded

In April 1902, Alf Kosky formed a club from the various district clubs under the banner of Hawthorn Football Club to compete in the Metropolitan Junior Football Association. The club merged with Boroondara in 1905, and in 1912, Hawthorn merged with successful junior club the Hawthorn Rovers to form the Hawthorn City Football Club to become part of a successful council push to have a club in the prestigious Victorian Football Association (VFA).

VFA years: 1914–1924

The first task for the club was to decide on club colours, their jumper of blue and gold was already taken by Williamstown so a change was required. At a Special General Meeting held on 17 February 1914, a Mr J. Brain proposed brown and gold as the new colours and the motion was carried.

The Mayblooms won three games and a draw in their first season in the VFA. The effect of World War I with players enlisting caused the club to finish last in 1915. The VFA then went into recess for the duration of the war.

When the competition resumed in 1919 the club was more competitive winning eight games and finishing sixth out of ten clubs.

Hawthorn dropped to eighth in 1920 and from then on won more games than they lost. 1921 they won 9 games and finished sixth.

In 1922 the club missed the finals by percentage and Hawthorn set a new record score in the VFA scoring 30.31.211 to Prahran 6.9.45.

In 1923 the club made the finals finishing in fourth place and then losing to Port Melbourne in the first semi-final.

1924 the club finished fifth, missing the finals by four points.

Entry to the VFL

Since 1919 the VFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 had nine clubs which caused one team to be idle every Saturday, the VFL was keen to do away with a bye each week. In 1924 a group calling itself the Hawthorn Citizens' League Campaign Committee began gathering support for the football club admittance to the VFL. Other representations came from Brighton, Brunswick, Footscray, North Melbourne, Prahran, Camberwell and Caulfield.

On the night of 9 January 1925 a committee meeting of the VFL, chaired by Reg Hunt of Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...

, decided to expand the competition from nine clubs to twelve. It was decided in the meeting to admit the "Hawthorn Football Club", along with Footscray and North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...

, all three coming from the Victorian Football Association (VFA). Hunt originally recommended Hawthorn, Footscray and Prahran but eventually North Melbourne was substituted for Prahran because of ground control matters.

The Mayblooms, as they were known then became the perennial whipping boys of the competition. They had an almost casual attitude towards playing football and were not able to even pay their players the match payment then allowed by the Coulter Law. Despite the presence of a number players of true class such as Bert Hyde
Bert Hyde
A. V. "Bert" Hyde was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL.Hyde was a fullforward and was Hawthorn's premier target up forward during their first decade in the league. He topped their goalkicking from 1926–1930 with a best of 62 goals in 1928. He also represented...

, Bert Mills
Bert Mills
Albert Mills was an Australian rules footballer who played for and captained Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League .Mills usually played as a ruckman but was also used at centre half-back...

, Stan Spinks
Stan Spinks
Stan Spinks is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League during the 1930s. He played as both a centreman and wingman in his career....

, Alec Albiston
Alec Albiston
Alec Albiston is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League and with North Melbourne for his final season. A goalkicking rover, he was captain and coach of Hawthorn between 1947 and 1949...

 and Col Austen
Col Austen
Colin 'Col' Austen was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL from 1941 to 1943 and then again from 1946 to 1949. He then played for the Richmond Football Club from 1950 to 1952....

, Hawthorn in the first seventeen years never won more than seven games in a season.

Steady incline: 1940s–50s

Roy Cazaly
Roy Cazaly
Roy Cazaly was an Australian rules football player famous for his high marks and ruck work, which gave rise to the phrase "Up There Cazaly".-Early life/career:...

 was the non-playing coach of Hawthorn in 1942, he was reported to have given the club its nickname the "Hawks" on the suggestion of one of his daughters. Cazaly thought that it was tougher than their original nickname the "Mayblooms" and 1943 turned out to be the club's best season since joining the VFL in which the club missed the finals only by percentage. However, Hawthorn immediately returned to the bottom of the ladder, consistently competing with St Kilda for the wooden spoon. Between 1944 and 1953 the club finished last or second last in every year but one.

Half back franker Col Austen
Col Austen
Colin 'Col' Austen was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL from 1941 to 1943 and then again from 1946 to 1949. He then played for the Richmond Football Club from 1950 to 1952....

 tied with South Melbourne's
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...

 Ron Clegg
Ron Clegg
Ron "Smokey" Clegg was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.A brilliant key position player at either centre half-forward or centre half-back, he was awarded the Brownlow Medal in 1949 while playing with the then South Melbourne Football Club...

 for the 1949 Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...

 but was not awarded it based on the 'countback' system in place at that time. The League later changed the system for tied results and, in 1989, he was awarded the medal retrospectively.

1950 started with the club in turmoil, The club appointed Bob McCaskill
Bob McCaskill
Robert 'Bob' McCaskill was an Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond in the Victorian Football League during the 1920s and coached both North Melbourne and Hawthorn....

 as coach and he wanted Kevin Curran
Kevin Curran (footballer)
Kevin Curran was an Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1940s.Curran was recruited to Hawthorn from Traralgon and played his first game with them in 1940....

 to be captain. Outgoing captain-coach Alec Albiston
Alec Albiston
Alec Albiston is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League and with North Melbourne for his final season. A goalkicking rover, he was captain and coach of Hawthorn between 1947 and 1949...

 was angry as he was told by a member of the board that he remain as captain. Brownlow Medallist Col Austen
Col Austen
Colin 'Col' Austen was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL from 1941 to 1943 and then again from 1946 to 1949. He then played for the Richmond Football Club from 1950 to 1952....

 sided with Albiston and a split occurred. The board sided with the new coach and gave Albiston and Austen open clearances.

1950s

Losing the club's best two players
the team did not win a match in 1950. New captain Kevin Curran was suspended for striking Austen on the first occasion Hawthorn and Austen's new club Richmond played.

The Club also decided to change it's player jumper to the Brown and gold vertical stripes.

Two positives were the arrival of Roy Simmonds
Roy Simmonds
Roy Simmonds was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1950s.Simmonds was used all around the ground by Hawthorn, most often though on the half back flank. His finest season came in 1956 where he won Hawthorn's best and fairest and finished equal fourth in...

 and John Kennedy . Over the next ten years, John Kennedy played 169 games for Hawthorn, serving as Captain from 1955 until his retirement, and winning the club's Best and Fairest award four times (in 1950, 51, 52 and 54). Simmonds would play 192 games and win the club's Best and Fairest award in 1955.

Failing health to Bob McCaskill
Bob McCaskill
Robert 'Bob' McCaskill was an Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond in the Victorian Football League during the 1920s and coached both North Melbourne and Hawthorn....

 meant that his assistant, Jack Hale
Jack Hale
Jack Hale is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in the VFL during the 1940s before becoming a coach....

 took over as coach, it was the decisive step in the movement of Hawthorn away from the bottom of the ladder. He eliminated the casual attitude that prevailed at the club during its first thirty years in the VFL and made the club less accepting of defeat than before. Although Hawthorn finished last in 1953, from the following year improvement was steady.

Hawthorn had their first recruitment coup in 1954 by signing Clayton "Candles" Thompson from South Australia. Thompson was the glamour player from the 1953 National Football Championships, kicking ten goals against Western Australia. Fresh from school, teenagers John Peck, Alan Woodley, Noel Voigt and Brain Kann started at Hawthorn and the club won eight games. Gifted schoolboy from Sandhurst
Sandhurst Football Club
The Sandhurst Football Club are an Australian rules football club which compete in the Bendigo Football League . Sandhurst is the former name of the city of Bendigo.-History:...

, Graham Arthur
Graham Arthur
Graham Arthur is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the VFL in the 1950s and 1960s.Arthur played primarily as a half forward, debuting while still only 18 years old....

, arrived in 1955 and became the second player to win the club's Best and Fairest in his first year, the other being John Kennedy. Brendan Edwards
Brendan Edwards
Brendan Edwards Brendan Edwards Brendan Edwards (Born 18 March 1936 is a former Australian rules football footballer who played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League VFL from 1956 to 1961 and again in the 1963 season. He won their best and fairest award in 1960 and represented Victoria at...

 followed Arthur to Hawthorn in 1956 and, although the seniors showed a slight decline to seven wins and a draw, the reserve grade side gave them their first finals appearance in any grade.

First finals appearance

1957 the senior team broke through for their first finals appearance, defeating Carlton in the 1st Semi Final long remembered for the freak hailstorm after half-time. They were outclassed by Melbourne in the preliminary final in a year when Cyril Collard
Cyril Collard (footballer)
Cyril Collard played 13 games for Australian Rules Football club Hawthorn between 1957 and 1958, scoring 3 goals. He was the first indigenous Australian to play for Hawthorn being of the Noongar people of Western Australia...

 became the first indigenous Australian to play for Hawthorn.

Turnaround: 1961–1982

First premiership

1961 VFL Grand Final
1961 VFL Grand Final
The 1961 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Footscray Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 23 September 1961. It was the 65th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...

G B Total
Hawthorn 13 16 94
Footscray
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...

 
7 9 51
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

Crowd: 107,935

After three seasons in mid-table Hawthorn appointed John Kennedy as coach in 1960. Kennedy and 1960 Club Champion Brendan Edwards
Brendan Edwards
Brendan Edwards Brendan Edwards Brendan Edwards (Born 18 March 1936 is a former Australian rules football footballer who played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League VFL from 1956 to 1961 and again in the 1963 season. He won their best and fairest award in 1960 and represented Victoria at...

 believed that footballers were not fit enough so a training regime was implemented. John Winneke
John Winneke
John Spence Winneke AC, RFD, QC, RANR is a former judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria and the President of the Court of Appeals division of the Supreme Court of Victoria, which is the highest ranking court in the Australian State of Victoria.-Early life:John Spence Winneke was born to Sir Henry...

, Phil Hay
Phil Hay
Phil Hay is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1960s.Hay played in a variety of positions at the start of his career and was the 19th man in Hawthorn's 1961 premiership side, their first. When Les Kaine left the club at the end of the 1962 season Hay...

, Malcolm Hill
Malcolm Hill
Malcolm Hill is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1960s.Hill was a ruckman and started his career with Hawthorn in 1960. He played three seasons of VFL football and was a premiership player in 1961. After leaving Hawthorn he moved to South Australia...

, Morton Browne
Morton Browne
Morton Browne is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1960s.Browne usually played on the half back or half forward flanks and debuted for Hawthorn in 1960. He was a member of Hawthorn's inaugural premiership side in 1961, kicking 3 goals in the Grand...

, Ian Mort
Ian Mort
Ian Mort is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the early 1960s.Mort played as a half forward flanker and was a member of Hawthorn's 1961 premiership team.-External links:...

 and Ian Law
Ian Law
Ian Law is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn throughout the 1960s.A rover, Law won the Hawthorn Best and fairest award in just his second year of VFL football and also finished 1961 third in the Brownlow Medal count...

 made their debuts in 1960. Kennedy took the Hawks further than ever before in 1961, winning their first premiership by defeating Footscray
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...

. Brendan Edwards was acknowledged as the star of this win.

However, Hawthorn fell right back in 1962 winning only five games and finishing in ninth position on the ladder. In 1963 the club finished on top of the ladder only to lose the grand final to Geelong by 49 points. Kennedy accepted a position as Principal of Stawell High School so Graham Arthur
Graham Arthur
Graham Arthur is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the VFL in the 1950s and 1960s.Arthur played primarily as a half forward, debuting while still only 18 years old....

 became captain-coach in 1964. The Hawks lost the last game of the season and dropped to fifth, had they had won they would have finished on top of the ladder. They fell to be last in 1965 with only four wins. They rebuilt the team for the rest of the 1960s with Peter Hudson
Peter Hudson
Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....

 joining them in 1967 and immediately became the competition's best full-forward. In 1968 he kicked 125 goals the first centurion since John Coleman, and again in 1969 with 120 goals. Despite this, Hawthorn still failed to make the finals, but the acquisition of the powerful Mornington Peninsula recruiting zone
Zoning (Australian rules football)
In Australian rules football, zoning refers to a system whereby a given area, either region or lower-level football league, is reserved exclusively for one club....

 gave the club a huge boost in its quest for success and permitted the club a much more powerful list then ever before. 1969 saw the recruitment of two teenagers Peter Knights
Peter Knights
Peter Knights is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries...

 and Leigh Matthews
Leigh Matthews
Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...

.

Hawthorn started the 1970s missing the finals even though Peter Hudson
Peter Hudson
Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....

 kicked a home-and-away record of 146 goals in 1970. The team's spine was strengthened with the arrival of full back Kelvin Moore
Kelvin Moore
Kelvin D. Moore is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.Kelvin Moore was one of the best full-backs of his era and played in three Hawthorn Football Club premierships during his 300-game career from 1970-1984.In 2005 Moore was inducted into the Australian Football...

 and centre half-forward Alan Martello
Alan Martello
Alan Martello is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1970 and 1980 for Hawthorn, and between 1981 and 1983 for Richmond. Martello was a tough Centre Half Forward and a prodigious kicker of the football. He was the youngest man ever to reach 200 games...

.

In 1971 the Hawks finished on top of the ladder, the first time since 1963, Peter Hudson
Peter Hudson
Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....

 equalled Bob Pratt
Bob Pratt
Harold Robert "Bob" Pratt was a former Australian rules footballer from Mitcham, Victoria.Pratt played with South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League from 1930–1939 and again in 1946, and with the Coburg Football Club in the Victorian Football Association from 1940 to 1941...

s record of 150 goals in a season and Leigh Matthews
Leigh Matthews
Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...

 gain notoriety by shirtfronting Barry Cable
Barry Cable
Barry Cable is an Australian former Australian rules footballer who played in the West Australian National Football League and Victorian Football League . Cable played as a rover. He won the Sandover Medal three times while playing with the Perth Football Club.-Club career:Cable played 225 games...

 in an Interstate Game in Perth.

The 1971 Grand Final
1971 VFL Grand Final
The 1971 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and St Kilda Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1971. It was the 75th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

 was between Hawthorn (coached by Hawthorn legend John Kennedy) and St Kilda coached by Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame at its inception in 1996...

 who would later move to Hawthorn and enjoy success as the Hawks coach in the 1980s. The match was played before 118,192 people at the MCG
McG
Joseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....

 on a fine and sunny Melbourne day. Hawthorn went into the match without inspirational centre half back Peter Knights
Peter Knights
Peter Knights is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries...

 who had suffered a severe knee injury two weeks earlier. It was a hard and tough game was played out with the Saints leading the Hawks by 20 points going into the last quarter. Hawks 5.7 (37) to the Saints 8.9 (57). For the Saints however, as coach Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame at its inception in 1996...

 was to comment, "The season was just 25 minutes too long". "Kennedy's Commando's" (the term given to the team after the coach's tough physical training program and loudly proclaimed in the huge banners that swept around the MCG
McG
Joseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....

 (now sadly replaced by advertising signs) came into force. The Hawks moved Peter Hudson
Peter Hudson
Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....

 out to centre half-forward and Bob Keddie
Bob Keddie
Bob Keddie is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League and West Adelaide, South Adelaide and Glenelg in the South Australian National Football League ....

 into the goal square. The Hawks slammed on seven goals to three in that final quarter, with Keddie kicking four, to run out winners (12.10.82) to the Saints (11.9.75). The final term saw ten goals being scored.

A skinny lad from Berwick made his debut in 1972. Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck is a seven time premiership winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League / Australian Football League , where he is the games record holder....

 played the first of a record 426 games after Hawthorn lost champion full forward Peter Hudson to a knee injury in the first game of the year, who had kicked 8 goals before being injured before half-time. John Hendrie
John Hendrie (footballer)
John Hendrie is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1970s.A forward, Hendrie kicked a career best 52 goals in 1977. He finished equal third in the 1975 Brownlow Medal count and was a premiership player with Hawthorn in 1976 and 1978.-External links:...

 whose grandfather played in Hawthorn's the first VFL game played the first of 197 games for the club.

During the 1970s a strong rivalry grew with North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...

 and they met in three grand finals with the Hawks prevailing twice. The 1976 Grand Final
1976 VFL Grand Final
The 1976 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1976. It was the 80th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...

 team was inspired by the illness of former Captain Peter Crimmins
Peter Crimmins
Peter Crimmins was a rover for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL, playing 176 games and kicking 231 goals from 1966 to 1975. He was an inspirational player and captain from 1974 who wore number 5. He was a member of the Hawks' 1971 premiership team.At the completion of the 1974 VFL season...

 who died 3 days after the victory from cancer, and by the humiliating defeat of the 1975 Grand Final
1975 VFL Grand Final
The 1975 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the North Melbourne Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 27 September 1975. It was the 79th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...

 loss to the North Melbourne Kangaroos. The Hawks greats such as the prolific goal-kicker Michael Moncrieff
Michael Moncrieff
Michael Moncrieff is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1970s and early 80s....

, rover Leigh Matthews
Leigh Matthews
Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...

, ruck rover Michael Tuck, ruckman Don Scott
Don Scott (footballer)
Don Scott is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. Scott was a fearless ruckman and premiership captain for Hawthorn Football Club....

, full back Kelvin Moore and centre half-back Peter Knights
Peter Knights
Peter Knights is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries...

 played through this era. The Hawthorn North Melbourne clash was a close encounter, but injuries to champions such as Keith Greig and Brent Crosswell made North's chances of winning difficult. However, when Hawthorn looked threatened, they replied quickly and kept their lead intact. The forward line won the day and as a result it was not surprising that John Hendrie
John Hendrie (footballer)
John Hendrie is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1970s.A forward, Hendrie kicked a career best 52 goals in 1977. He finished equal third in the 1975 Brownlow Medal count and was a premiership player with Hawthorn in 1976 and 1978.-External links:...

 was voted best on ground by radio and newspapers of the day.

After the disappointment of losing to North Melbourne in the 1977 Preliminary Final, the Hawks were back to play in the 1978 Grand Final
1978 VFL Grand Final
The 1978 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 1978. It was the 82nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...

, again against North Melbourne. It was the third time in four seasons that these two sides were to meet in a grand final. North Melbourne were competing in their fifth successive grand final and were the reigning premiers. At half-time North Melbourne led by four points but Hawthorn finished victors by three goals thanks largely to a strong third quarter which saw them kick 7.6. The turning point occurred when two North players spoiled each other in the goalsquare at the 6-minute mark, when a mark and a goal could have put them 17 points up. The Hawks went on to dominate play after this incident and never looked back. The finals scores were Hawthorn (18.13 (121) defeated North Melbourne (15.13 (103).

7 straight: 1983–1989

Their greatest era was undoubtedly the 1980s, where the team won four premierships and played in the grand final seven years in succession, including three in a row against arch-enemy Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

. The decade started poorly, with Hawthorn failing to finish in the top five (as it was then known) and seen by most critics as a spent force. Coach David Parkin
David Parkin
David Parkin is a former Australian rules footballer and four-time premiership coach.- Pre-football career :He attended Melbourne High School and during his time there, was the school vice-captain and captain of football....

 left and agreed to coach Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...

 and captain Don Scott
Don Scott (footballer)
Don Scott is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. Scott was a fearless ruckman and premiership captain for Hawthorn Football Club....

 would shortly retire after playing his 300th game. In a surprise apppointment Hawthorn persuaded former St Kilda premiership coach Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame at its inception in 1996...

 to coach the team. Jeans had not coached in the VFL for five years.

1982 would mark the start of Hawthorn being in the finals for 13 years in a row. Hawthorn returned to finals football in 1982, finishing second after the home and away season, Hawthorn fans saw Subiaco champion Gary Buckenara
Gary Buckenara
Gary Buckenara played Australian rules football for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL during the 1980s.Buckenara first played senior football for Subiaco in the WAFL from 1979 to 1981. Subiaco agreed to lease him for three years for $210,000 and after a court case began his career at Hawthorn...

 for the first time and also a cameo appearance of Gary Ablett in a Hawthorn jumper and Dermot Brereton who was a skinny kid from Frankston made his debut in the semi final against North Melbourne and kicked five goals. Hawthorn lost the Preliminary Final to Carlton by 31 points.

The first of four premierships for the decade was in the 1983 Grand Final
1983 VFL Grand Final
The 1983 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 24 September 1983. It was the 87th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

, with Hawthorn 20.20 (140) defeating Essendon 8.9 (57) This was at that time a record margin in a grand final; signifying the juggernaut that Hawthorn was to become during the 1980s. Hawthorn competed in the next two grand finals against rival Essendon, losing in 1984 Grand Final
1984 VFL Grand Final
The 1984 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 1984. It was the 88th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

 due to Essendon's famous final quarter charge, and losing again in 1985 Grand Final
1985 VFL Grand Final
The 1985 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 28 September 1985. It was the 89th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

 by a far greater margin; souring the final game of club legend Leigh Matthews. Playing along side him was young Jason Dunstall
Jason Dunstall
Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

, from Coorparoo
Coorparoo, Queensland
Coorparoo is a southern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located approximately four kilometres from the city. Surrounding suburbs include Camp Hill, Holland Park, Greenslopes, East Brisbane, Norman Park and Seven Hills.-Aboriginal history:...

, Queensland, he was recruited after winning the QAFL goalkicking in 1984.

The 1985 Grand Final marked the end of Essendon's success during the 1980s, but did not for Hawthorn. Their second premiership came the following year in the 1986 Grand Final
1986 VFL Grand Final
The 1986 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 27 September 1986. It was the 90th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

, with Hawthorn 16.14 (110) defeating Carlton 9.14 (68) convincingly, with Gary Ayres
Gary Ayres
Gary Ayres is a former Australian rules footballer for the Hawthorn Football Club and currently the senior coach for the Port Melbourne Football Club in the Victoria Football League.-Playing career:...

 winning his first of two Norm Smith Medals. 1987 saw Hawthorn finish second to a superior Carlton team. The fact that Hawthorn even made it to the grand final is still the centre of some controversy; with Garry Buckenara's after the siren kick in the 1987 Preliminary Final breaking the hearts of tens of thousands of Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....

 supporters. Ill health to coach Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame at its inception in 1996...

 meant that Football Operations Manager Alan Joyce
Alan Joyce
Alan Joyce is a former Australian rules footballer who after playing 49 games for Hawthorn became a premiership winning coach for the club. Originally from Glen Iris, Joyce played in the ruck for Hawthorn and gained life membership in 1996.In 1988 when incumbent coach Allan Jeans became ill due to...

 took the coaching position for 1988. The Hawks lost only 3 games for the year; Jason Dunstall
Jason Dunstall
Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

 kicked 132 goals and the team would win the 1988 Premiership
1988 VFL Grand Final
The 1988 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 24 September 1988. It was the 92nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...

 22.20 (152) against Melbourne 6.20 (56); a then record margin in a Grand Final of 96 points. Gary Ayres
Gary Ayres
Gary Ayres is a former Australian rules footballer for the Hawthorn Football Club and currently the senior coach for the Port Melbourne Football Club in the Victoria Football League.-Playing career:...

 won his second Norm Smith Medal.

The 1989 season was viewed as one of the most spectacular VFL/AFL seasons to date; with Dunstall again kicking a century of goals, the resurgence of Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...

 and dominating play of Geelong great Gary Ablett Sr., and the greatest Grand Final
1989 VFL Grand Final
The 1989 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Geelong Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 1989. It was the 93rd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

 of the modern era occurring in this year.
1989 VFL Grand Final
1989 VFL Grand Final
The 1989 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Geelong Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 1989. It was the 93rd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

G B Total
Hawthorn 21 18 144
Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...

 
21 12 138
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

Crowd: 94,796

The Hawks defeated Geelong in the 1989 Grand Final. The match is now legendary for its amazing toughness, physicality, skill, massive scoring and tension. The Hawks jumped out to an enormous lead as Geelong attempted to unsettle the Hawks through rough physical play. However the physical toll on the Hawks began to show as the match wore on; with John Platten being concussed, Robert DiPierdomenico puncturing his lung, Dermott Brereton breaking his ribs and Michael Tuck splitting the webbing on his hand.
By midway through the final quarter the Cats were charging; with Hawthorn desperately trying to hold off the Cat's avalanche of goals while containing the brilliance of Ablett who ended the match with a grand final record of 9 goals. Hawthorn's experience and determination allowed them to hold off Geelong just long enough, scraping through to victory by one goal.

Too old. Too slow. Too good: 1990–1991

The fast-paced style of Hawthorn's play was copied by the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...

 who became the powerful club of the early 1990s. Other clubs have had success since but none have matched the dominance of the Hawks in this period, who ended the 1980s having played in a record seven successive grand finals. Leading players of the 1980s included Dermott Brereton
Dermott Brereton
Dermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent , he is known for his aggressive style of play. Brereton kicked 464 goals and played in five Premierships for during...

, Gary Ayres, Chris Mew
Chris Mew
Chris Mew is a former Australian rules footballer who was a permanent member of the Hawthorn Hawks side during the 1980s.A defender, Mew usually played at centre half back and was a premiership player in 1983, 86, 88, 89 and 1991....

, Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck is a seven time premiership winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League / Australian Football League , where he is the games record holder....

, Jason Dunstall
Jason Dunstall
Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

, Gary Buckenara
Gary Buckenara
Gary Buckenara played Australian rules football for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL during the 1980s.Buckenara first played senior football for Subiaco in the WAFL from 1979 to 1981. Subiaco agreed to lease him for three years for $210,000 and after a court case began his career at Hawthorn...

, John Platten
John Platten
John Patrick "The Rat" Platten is a former Australian rules footballer. With his unruly tangle of curls he was a distinctive figure on the field with tremendous tenacity and the ability to accumulate possessions week after week.-Career:Platten began his career with the Central District Bulldogs...

 and Chris Langford
Chris Langford
Chris Langford is a former professional Australian rules footballer who is currently a game administrator.Langford is best known for his 303 game career for the Hawthorn Hawks between 1983 and 1997. He captained the club in the 1994 season and earned All-Australian selection. It was his second...

.

The Hawks ended their era of dominance which included eight grand final appearances in nine seasons (1983–1991). Injuries to key personnel hampered Hawthorns 1990 campaign. Jason Dunstall
Jason Dunstall
Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

 and Dermott Brereton
Dermott Brereton
Dermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent , he is known for his aggressive style of play. Brereton kicked 464 goals and played in five Premierships for during...

 both missed many games, others like Robert DiPierdomenico
Robert DiPierdomenico
Robert "Dipper" DiPierdomenico is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL of Italian descent and a member of the VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century...

 carried injuries into the finals. The Hawks bowed out in the Elimination Final to Melbourne. Alan Joyce
Alan Joyce
Alan Joyce is a former Australian rules footballer who after playing 49 games for Hawthorn became a premiership winning coach for the club. Originally from Glen Iris, Joyce played in the ruck for Hawthorn and gained life membership in 1996.In 1988 when incumbent coach Allan Jeans became ill due to...

 replaced Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame at its inception in 1996...

 as coach for the 1991 season and the Hawks subsequently won the pre-season cup. The club recruited skillful South Australian Darren Jarman
Darren Jarman
Darren Jarman is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League. An elite midfielder-cum-forward, Jarman amassed a total of 386 games of senior football at SANFL, AFL and Representative level. He was widely reocgnised as one of the most skillful players of his era...

 and with improvement from young players, such as Paul Hudson
Paul Hudson (Australian rules footballer)
Paul Hudson is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn, the Western Bulldogs and Richmond.-Playing career:...

, Ben Allan
Ben Allan
Benjamin Thomas "Ben" Allan is a former Australian rules footballer. He was educated at Aquinas College, Perth- Hawthorn career :He played as a rover...

 and Stephen Lawrence
Stephen Lawrence (footballer)
Stephen Lawrence is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the Australian Football League.A ruckman throughout his career, he debuted at centre half forward in 1988 and kicked 5 goals against North Melbourne in his first game...

 the team made the 1991 Grand Final.
1991 AFL Grand Final
1991 AFL Grand Final
The 1991 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and West Coast Eagles, held at Waverley Park in Melbourne on 28 September 1991. It was the 95th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League, staged to...

G B Total
Hawthorn 20 19 139
West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...

 
13 8 86
Venue: Waverley Park
Waverley Park
Waverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of...

Crowd: 75,230

Grand Final Day 1991 was an historic occasion. It was the only grand final played at Waverley Park
Waverley Park
Waverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of...

 and featured the first ever appearance by a non-Victorian team. West Coast had dominated the home and away season but Hawthorn, written off by many early in the season, had slowly gathered momentum and had stunned the Eagles by winning the first grand final played outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground since 1945. West Coast began the match kicking with the aid of a strong wind blowing down to the main scoreboard end and kicked the opening four goals. However, from that point the Hawks began to gain the ascendancy and, if not for inaccuracy in front of goal in the second term, they would have had a significant half-time lead. Having maintained the half-time margin, against the wind, in the third term, the Hawks slammed on 8.4 (52) to 1.3 (9) in the final quarter, to win a fifth premiership in nine seasons. A feature of the Hawks’ performance was that its two best players—Paul Dear and Stephen Lawrence—were from the team’s younger brigade. It was to be Michael Tuck’s last game and he bowed out with the League record for games (426), finals (39), grand finals (11) and premierships (7). At the end of 1991, Hawthorn selected a young Shane Crawford
Shane Crawford
Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

 with pick 13 in the National Draft, who eventually became the only surviving link between this era of success and its next triumph 17 seasons later. During the 1992 summer, the Hawthorn players' T-shirts had "Too old. Too slow. Too good" written on them.

End of an era: 1992–96

In 1992 the club moved its home games to Waverley Park
Waverley Park
Waverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of...

 in Mulgrave
Mulgrave, Victoria
Mulgrave is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 21 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash. At the 2006 Census, Mulgrave had a population of 16,280....

 in Melbourne's south-east after previously sharing Princes Park with Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...

. To further strengthen their links with the area a second social club was established nearby at the Waverley Gardens shopping centre. The club, which operates as a gaming venue, has also been a lucrative source of revenue for the club.

The end of the 1993 season saw the first cracks in the Family Club facade; coach Alan Joyce
Alan Joyce
Alan Joyce is a former Australian rules footballer who after playing 49 games for Hawthorn became a premiership winning coach for the club. Originally from Glen Iris, Joyce played in the ruck for Hawthorn and gained life membership in 1996.In 1988 when incumbent coach Allan Jeans became ill due to...

 was replaced and club legends Gary Ayres and Dermott Brereton departed. Chris Mew
Chris Mew
Chris Mew is a former Australian rules footballer who was a permanent member of the Hawthorn Hawks side during the 1980s.A defender, Mew usually played at centre half back and was a premiership player in 1983, 86, 88, 89 and 1991....

 injured his achilles tendon and retired. Loss of key players continued, Ben Allan
Ben Allan
Benjamin Thomas "Ben" Allan is a former Australian rules footballer. He was educated at Aquinas College, Perth- Hawthorn career :He played as a rover...

 was offered the captaincy of the new Fremantle Dockers
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...

 and left at the end of 1994, as did Andrew Gowers
Andrew Gowers
Andrew Gowers was appointed editor of the Financial Times in October 2001. He resigned from this post in November 2005 citing "strategic differences", following the FT losing a libel case brought by brokerage firm Collins Stewart Tullett Plc....

, who went to Brisbane
Brisbane Bears
The Brisbane Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Bears was an Australian rules football club and the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League . The club played its first match in 1987, but struggled on and off the field until it made the finals for the first time in 1995...

.

After a promising start in 1995 the Hawks lost their last seven games to finish 15th and missed the finals for the first time since 1981. Club Champion Darren Jarman told the club he wanted to return to Adelaide.

Proposed merger

Falling on-field and off-field fortune saw the club almost merge with Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....

 in 1996. The resulting club was to be known as the "Melbourne Hawks
Melbourne Hawks
The Melbourne Football Club/Hawthorn Football Club merger was a planned Australian Football League team that would have consisted of the merger between the Melbourne and Hawthorn Football Clubs at the end of the 1996 season...

" – a fusion with the Melbourne nickname of "Demons". A groundswell of support led by former champion Don Scott
Don Scott (footballer)
Don Scott is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. Scott was a fearless ruckman and premiership captain for Hawthorn Football Club....

 scuttled the proposal, with Hawthorn members voting strongly against it. Melbourne members supported the merger by a small margin. The failure of the merger led to the resignation of the board and its replacement, led by businessman Ian Dicker.

After fighting off the merger the new board launched the "Proud, Passionate and Paid Up" campaign in a bid to get more members. 27,450 memberships were bought by supporters, more than doubling the memberships from the previous year. Even in the successful days of the 1980s the club struggled to get 10,000 members. The team won the 1999 pre-season competition but missed out on the finals of the premiership season.

1997–2003

Peter Schwab
Peter Schwab
Peter Schwab is a former Australian rules footballer and coach in the VFL/AFL.-Playing career:Recruited from Bennettswood, he played with Hawthorn from 1980-1991, going on to play 171 games and boot 38 goals...

 was made coach of the Hawks for the 2000 season and the team played a more attacking style than the "accountable football" discipline of Ken Judge
Ken Judge
- Playing career :He was recruited from East Fremantle Football Club to Hawthorn and made an immediate impact in his VFL debut in 1983, being part of a premiership side in his first season and winning the Hawks' Best First Year Player award...

. The Hawks reached the semi-finals before losing to the reigning premiers, the North Melbourne Football Club
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...

. The team made steady progress all over the field. Daniel Chick
Daniel Chick
Daniel Chick is a professional Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn and the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League. Chick is also well known for having a finger amputated in 2002 so he could continue playing football.- Hawthorn career :Chick made his debut for Hawthorn...

 and Nick Holland
Nick Holland
Nick Holland is a former Australian rules football player. He played 179 games for the Hawthorn Football Club between 1994 and 2005, serving as Vice Captain between 1999 and 2003. He is a previous winner of the AFL Rising Star, Hawthorn's Best & Fairest award, Hawthorn's leading goal kicker in...

 were the joint winners of the Peter Crimmins Medal. Chance Bateman
Chance Bateman
Chance Bateman is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for Hawthorn in the Australian Football League ....

 became the second Indigenous Australian to play for Hawthorn.

In 2001 the Hawks again enjoyed a successful year, but it was to be their last for several seasons. The Hawks won eight games straight at the start of the season and, despite faltering in the middle part of the year, had a close win in a semi-final against Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...

 and made it to the preliminary finals in when they narrowly lost to Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

. In the off-season, Hawthorn traded Trent Croad
Trent Croad
Trent Eric Croad is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .During his 222 game AFL career, he achieved some of the Australian Football League's highest honours including an AFL premiership medallion, All-Australian selection, representing...

 and Luke McPharlin
Luke McPharlin
Luke McPharlin is an Australian rules football player for the Fremantle Football Club. McPharlin was educated at Christ Church Grammar School, graduating in 1999. McPharlin is both a key back and a key forward....

 for the Number 1 draft pick, Luke Hodge
Luke Hodge
Luke Hodge is a professional Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

, No. 20 (Daniel Elstone) and No. 36 (Sam Mitchell
Sam Mitchell (footballer)
Samuel Mitchell is an Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Debut season :...

). In retrospect, the Hawks are seen to have won this trade. Trent Croad
Trent Croad
Trent Eric Croad is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .During his 222 game AFL career, he achieved some of the Australian Football League's highest honours including an AFL premiership medallion, All-Australian selection, representing...

 would, ironically, return to Hawthorn two years later.

The Hawks missed the finals altogether in 2002, finishing 10th, which was considered to be a very disappointing result for the club. Shane Crawford won the Peter Crimmins Medal
Peter Crimmins Medal
The Peter Crimmins Medal is an Australian rules football award given to the player from the Hawthorn Football Club deemed best and fairest for the season.Peter Crimmins was a rover for Hawthorn, playing 1966-1975...

 after another strong season. Players that made their debuts that year, Luke Hodge
Luke Hodge
Luke Hodge is a professional Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

, Sam Mitchell
Sam Mitchell (footballer)
Samuel Mitchell is an Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Debut season :...

, Campbell Brown
Campbell Brown (footballer)
Campbell Brown is an Australian rules footballer who has previously won a premiership with the Hawthorn Football Club and currently plays for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League .-AFL career:...

, Robert Campbell
Robert Campbell (Australian rules footballer)
Robert "Robbie" Campbell is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League . At 200 cm tall, he made his AFL debut with the Hawthorn Hawks in 2002...

 and Mark L. Williams
Mark L. Williams
Mark Williams is a former indigenous Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn and Essendon in the Australian Football League...

 would all play in the 2008 premiership side. In the off-season, the Hawks again proved to be big players and gained the services of St Kilda ruckman Peter Everitt
Peter Everitt
Peter "Spida" Everitt is a former Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda, Hawthorn Hawks and the Sydney Swans in the AFL. He made his debut for St Kilda in 1993 and in 2003 began playing for Hawthorn. Everitt was traded to the Sydney Swans at the end of 2006. Following the club's 2008...

.

After a poor start to the 2003 season, the Hawks went on to finish the second half of the year strongly and finished in 9th place, narrowly missing the finals. Sam Mitchell
Sam Mitchell (footballer)
Samuel Mitchell is an Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Debut season :...

 shone for the Hawks and won the AFL Rising Star award. This form had punters excited and the team were early favourites for a top four finish the next year. Shane Crawford
Shane Crawford
Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

 once again won the Peter Crimmins Medal and also came second in the Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...

 by a single vote.

New coach, changing times: 2004–present

During the 2004 pre-season Hawthorn coach Peter Schwab declared that the Hawks would "win the premiership" although this statement would be followed by a horrific season for Hawthorn as the Hawks managed just 4 wins and 18 losses. The club imploded, and by mid-season coach Peter Schwab
Peter Schwab
Peter Schwab is a former Australian rules footballer and coach in the VFL/AFL.-Playing career:Recruited from Bennettswood, he played with Hawthorn from 1980-1991, going on to play 171 games and boot 38 goals...

 was sacked, and Captain Shane Crawford
Shane Crawford
Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

 broke his arm, and eventually relinquished the captaincy. Following the collapse of the club on the field, many players either left or were sacked from the club. Nathan Thompson
Nathan Thompson
Nathan Thompson is a former Australian rules footballer, who previously played with the Hawthorn and North Melbourne Football Clubs in the Australian Football League. He is currently a part of the Panel on the Sunday Footy Show....

 left the club citing a fresh start following his admission that he suffered from depression. Rayden Tallis
Rayden Tallis
Rayden Tallis is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the AFL.Tallis made his Hawthorn debut in 1994 and earned a Rising Star nomination late in the season. He usually played in the back pocket but was also used through the midfield...

, Mark Graham
Mark Graham (footballer)
Mark Graham is a former Australian rules football player who played with Hawthorn for over a decade before finishing his career at Richmond. He was a left footed defender and possessed a strong overhead mark. In 2001 he finished second in the Hawk's best and fairest...

, Kris Barlow
Kris Barlow
Kris Barlow is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the AFL.Barlow usually played up forward but was also used across half back. He kicked a career best of five goals against Collingwood at the MCG during the 2001 season. Having suffering a knee injury in 2004 he was...

 and Lance Picioane
Lance Picioane
Lance Picioane is an Australian rules footballer who played for Adelaide, Hawthorn and the Kangaroos during his time in the Australian Football League ....

 were also released from the club. More than 700 games of experience left the club following the season.

Alastair Clarkson
Alastair Clarkson
Alastair Clarkson is a former Australian rules footballer and current coach of the Hawthorn Football Club.- North Melbourne :...

 was appointed coach before the conclusion of the 2004 season and promptly delisted many players who were either underperforming or not fitting in with his youth policy which he embarked on to rebuild the club. The Hawks took Jarryd Roughead
Jarryd Roughead
Jarryd Roughead is an Australian rules footballer playing for Hawthorn in the Australian Football League .-Early life:Born in Leongatha in southern Gippsland, Roughead played Gippsland Power...

, Lance Franklin
Lance Franklin
Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . Nicknamed 'Buddy', Franklin primarily plays as a centre half-forward, but also spends some time in the midfield, where he plays along the wing...

, Jordan Lewis
Jordan Lewis
Jordan Michael Lewis is an Australian rules footballer, currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club of the Australian Football League. His nicknames are "Taz" and "Chief".Lewis was voted Hawthorn's best first-year player in 2005...

 at picks 2, 5 and 7 respectively in the AFL Draft
AFL Draft
The AFL Draft is the annual draft of new unsigned players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.-History:...

. Former Hawk Trent Croad
Trent Croad
Trent Eric Croad is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .During his 222 game AFL career, he achieved some of the Australian Football League's highest honours including an AFL premiership medallion, All-Australian selection, representing...

 who had played for the Fremantle Dockers
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...

 for 2 years returned to his former side on exchange for draft selection No.10 Ryley Dunn before the 2004 season.

With Clarkson at the helm, the Hawks made solid progress, and instituted a culture of discipline at the club. The Hawks won only 5 games and played a widely criticised high-possession game plan and finished in 14th position. Hawks fans still deemed it to be a somewhat successful season. Lance Franklin
Lance Franklin
Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . Nicknamed 'Buddy', Franklin primarily plays as a centre half-forward, but also spends some time in the midfield, where he plays along the wing...

, Jarryd Roughead
Jarryd Roughead
Jarryd Roughead is an Australian rules footballer playing for Hawthorn in the Australian Football League .-Early life:Born in Leongatha in southern Gippsland, Roughead played Gippsland Power...

 and Jordan Lewis
Jordan Lewis
Jordan Michael Lewis is an Australian rules footballer, currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club of the Australian Football League. His nicknames are "Taz" and "Chief".Lewis was voted Hawthorn's best first-year player in 2005...

 all won Rising Star Nominations. Shane Crawford
Shane Crawford
Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

 also had a return to form after a terrible 2004 when he broke his arm, and finished 3rd in the Peter Crimmins Medal
Peter Crimmins Medal
The Peter Crimmins Medal is an Australian rules football award given to the player from the Hawthorn Football Club deemed best and fairest for the season.Peter Crimmins was a rover for Hawthorn, playing 1966-1975...

 tally. The Hawks received Xavier Ellis
Xavier Ellis
Xavier Ellis is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

 with pick 3, and Beau Dowler
Beau Dowler
Beau Dowler is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League ....

 with pick 6, from finishing 14th. List manager Chris Pelchen also traded the clubs 2001 All-Australian full-back Jonathan Hay to North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...

 and Nathan Lonie to Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...

. In return the club got pick no. 14 Grant Birchall
Grant Birchall
Grant Birchall is an Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League.Birchall had an exceptional first season in 2006 with the Hawthorn, playing 16 games out of a possible 22...

 and pick 18 Max Bailey
Max Bailey
Max Bailey is an Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club of the Australian Football League.Drafted 18th overall by the Hawks in the 2005 AFL Draft, the ruckman from West Perth made his AFL debut in Round 18 of the 2006 season...

. The club had a record 5 picks inside 22 with Beau Muston
Beau Muston
Beau Muston is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League from 2006 to 2010....

 rounding out the 5 players. Ellis and Birchall went on to play an integral part in the clubs 10th premiership in 2008.
The success story of the year was former no. 1 Draft Pick Luke Hodge
Luke Hodge
Luke Hodge is a professional Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

, who became a super-star off half-back, winning the Peter Crimmins Medal
Peter Crimmins Medal
The Peter Crimmins Medal is an Australian rules football award given to the player from the Hawthorn Football Club deemed best and fairest for the season.Peter Crimmins was a rover for Hawthorn, playing 1966-1975...

, All-Australian
All-Australian Team
The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including interchange players and a coach, of the best performed during the season....

 jumper and coming equal 4th in the Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...

, collecting 15 votes. Peter Everitt
Peter Everitt
Peter "Spida" Everitt is a former Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda, Hawthorn Hawks and the Sydney Swans in the AFL. He made his debut for St Kilda in 1993 and in 2003 began playing for Hawthorn. Everitt was traded to the Sydney Swans at the end of 2006. Following the club's 2008...

 and Trent Croad
Trent Croad
Trent Eric Croad is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .During his 222 game AFL career, he achieved some of the Australian Football League's highest honours including an AFL premiership medallion, All-Australian selection, representing...

 were also named in the All-Australian team.

After numerous years of planning, the club relocated its administrative headquarters from Glenferrie Oval
Glenferrie Oval
Glenferrie Oval is an Australian rules football stadium located in Hawthorn, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.It is the historic home of and is synonymous with the Hawthorn Football Club, who played there from 1903 and as a VFL/AFL club from 1925–1973, and retained the ground as an...

 to a state-of-the-art
State of the art
The state of the art is the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time. It also refers to the level of development reached at any particular time as a result of the latest methodologies employed.- Origin :The earliest use of the term...

 redeveloped facility at Waverley Park
Waverley Park
Waverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of...

 in the early stages of 2006. Glenferrie Oval was to remain the spiritual home of the club.
In 2006, after a flying start, with a win/loss ratio of 4–1 after the first 5 rounds, the Hawks faltered and fell to a 6-game losing streak before breaking the drought against Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...

 in round 12, when Lance Franklin
Lance Franklin
Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . Nicknamed 'Buddy', Franklin primarily plays as a centre half-forward, but also spends some time in the midfield, where he plays along the wing...

 booted 6 goals. A further 6 game losing streak ensued, before another 6 goal burst from "Buddy" in round 19 against Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...

 was the spark to a final 4 game winning streak, which helped the Hawks leap frog Port Adelaide
Port Adelaide Football Club
The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...

, the Kangaroos
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...

, and Brisbane
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...

 to finish the year in 11th place.

Hawthorn's progress up the ladder, developing youth, and attacking style of play saw coach Alastair Clarkson rewarded with a new 2-year contract after the mid-season break.

At the end of the 2006 season, the Hawks increased their commitment to the Tasmanian market – where they have developed a large support base – with 4 games to be played at Aurora Stadium in Launcston
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...

, involving the Tasmanian Government
Government of Tasmania
The form of the Government of Tasmania is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...

 becoming an official sponsor of the club, in one of the biggest sponsorship deals in Australian sporting history, worth $15–20 million dollars.

In 2007 the club spent most of the time in the top three during the home and away season, but late season losses to Port Adelaide and Sydney saw the Hawks finish in 5th position. A come from behind win against Adelaide in the Elimination Final in which Lance Franklin kicked his seventh goal seconds from the final siren overshadowed a disappointing loss the following week against the North Melbourne Football Club. The club recorded its 11th consecutive year-end profit at the close of the 2007 season, a record A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...

3.6 million.
2008 AFL Grand Final
2008 AFL Grand Final
The 2008 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between the Geelong Football Club and the Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on the 27th of September 2008...

G B Total
Hawthorn 18 7 115
Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...

11 23 89
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

Crowd: 100,012


2008 saw Hawthorn play a brand of football described by many as "unsociable", and they won of their first premiership since 1991, defeating Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...

 18.7 (115) to 11.23 (89) in the Grand Final. This took place on Saturday 27 September 2008 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

 (MCG). During the second quarter Trent Croad suffered a serious foot injury and was on crutches for the rest of the game. Luke Hodge won the Norm Smith Medal, overcoming a serious rib injury inflicted upon him during the Preliminary Final match against St Kilda. Mark Williams was the leading goalkicker on the day with 3 goals.

The 2008 Grand Final would become the last game for Trent Croad and Shane Crawford in their AFL careers. Croad's foot injury kept him out of the following season; and Crawford, after 305 games spanned over 15 years, announced his retirement in the few months after the premiership..

In 2009 Hawthorn had a bad season with injuries to several top players, who missed considerable number of games throughout the season. The club did not make the finals, however the club's chances of finals were not extinguished until the last few matches with a late season charge fading in the last couple of games.

The Hawks had a terrible start to season 2010, losing six of their first seven matches, before launching a mid-season revival sparked by their narrow Round 7 loss to eventual wooden spooners the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...

 in Perth. Only three losses and a draw followed, and it was enough for them to make the finals, finishing seventh and drawing an away final against the Fremantle Dockers
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...

 in Perth. Inaccurate kicking cost them in a 30-point loss which ended their season. Hawthorn had beaten a second-string Fremantle by 116 points just the fortnight before, but when it came to the finals, their opposition were stronger and more refreshed.

2011 saw Hawthorn finish the home and away season in third spot. It lost to Collingwood by 3 points in a preliminary final. In a reasonably unheralded season Hawthorn won 18 games. Lance Franklin won the Coleman Medal and an assured All Australian guernsey. Josh Gibson, Sam Mitchell and Grant Birchall were all nominated for All Australian positions, with Sam Mitchell being selected as the Centre.

Logo, crest and mascot

The Hawthorn FC has had four VFL/AFL endorsed logos in its entirety. The first (1977), a flying Hawk, was an adaptation of a pre-existing unofficial logo that appeared on the club's official documentation throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The Hawks's Mascot Manor representative and club mascot is Hudson "Hawka" Knights, a caricature of a hawk dressed the same way as the Hawthorn players and slightly depicting club champion Dermott Brereton
Dermott Brereton
Dermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent , he is known for his aggressive style of play. Brereton kicked 464 goals and played in five Premierships for during...

.
Logo
Hawthorn's first logo was introduced in 1977. It was a predominantly gold shield featuring the 'Flying Hawk' emblazoned across the face, with a brown football with the letters "HFC" in its talons. The first edition of this shield, like all other VFL logos at the time, had a royal blue border around the text section, but it no longer became compulsory and in 1980 a full brown border was brought in.
In 1982, however, on the back of large scale marketing drive, "The new force of the 80s", the club adopted the famous "Hawk Head" created by a Swinburne Institute student. It is still closely linked to the club 10 years after being replaced. The Hawk Head was a popular choice amongst Hawthorn FC supporters as the club had five Premierships, eight Grand Finals and 14 finals appearances during its 15 years at the club.
On the back of the failed 1996 proposed merger of Hawthorn with the Melbourne Football Club
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....

, Hawthorn, under Ian Dicker, looked to a new banner for a change of fortunes in 1997. The "New Hawks" adopted a modernistic version of the pre-existing "Flying Hawk" and was launched with the infamous "Proud, Passionate and Paid Up" membership drive in 1997. The new logo was successful in drumming up support for the Hawks, as the club went from one of the lowest supported clubs to being the first club in Victoria to attract more than 30,000 members in the space of only two years. Since then the club has successfully retained a consistent level of support despite struggles on the field.
On Saturday, 6 October 2007, club President Jeff Kennett, launched the club's fourth logo in 30 years at a lavish function at Crown Casino. The new logo, which has striking similarities to the Hawk Head of the '80s and '90s was a project of Cato Purnell Partners. In describing the logo, Cato has made reference to the eye and beak of the Hawk representing the "determination, pride and focus" of Hawthorn.

Club guernsey

The Hawthorn colours are Brown & Gold vertical stripes. Hawthorn has worn this design since 1950. The current major sponsors of the team are Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

, HSBC
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...

, Bupa
Bupa
Bupa is a large British healthcare organisation, with bases on three continents and more than ten million customers in over 200 countries. It is a private healthcare company, in direct contrast to the UK's National Health Services, which are tax-funded healthcare systems and do not require private...

 and Puma
PUMA AG
Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...

. The standard home guernsey
Guernsey (clothing)
A guernsey, or gansey, is a seaman's knitted woollen sweater, similar to a jersey, which originated in the Channel Island of the same name.-Origins:...

 is used in all home and away games in Victoria, Sydney and Tasmania while the away guernsey is used in every away game in Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane.

The club's colours and designs have changed a few times during their history. From 1902 to 1904 they wore a blue guernsey with red shoulders and a red stripe down the front of the guernsey along with blue and white hooped socks. After they merged with Boroondara in 1905 they changed to a black guernsey with a red sash with black and red hooped socks. After the club had struggled for a few years it was decided to reform it and for seasons 1912–13 and they wore a yellow guernsey with a blue V. Upon entering the VFA they had to change their colours again as Williamstown already had that combination and adopted the colours brown and gold which have since remained to this day although the design has changed a few times, the main ones being:
  • 1914–1924 – brown with a gold circle around the neck and the HFC monogram in the centre
  • 1925–1932 – brown with a gold V and a smaller HFC monogram on the left breast
  • 1933–1934 – gold with a brown V
  • 1934–1949 – brown with a gold V and brown socks with gold tops
  • 1950–1974 – brown and gold stripes front and back with black numbers on a white panel and brown and gold hooped socks
  • 1975–1988 – brown and gold stripes with a plain gold back and brown numbers with brown and gold hooped socks
  • 1989–1995 – brown and gold stripes with a plain gold back and brown numbers with plain gold socks
  • 2006–present – brown and gold stripes front and back with black numbers on a white panel and brown and gold hooped socks

Home Guernsey Away Guernsey

Club song

We're a happy team at Hawthorn,

we're the Mighty Fighting Hawks.

We love our club and we play to win,

riding the bumps with a grin at Hawthorn.

Come what may you'll find us striving,

team work is the thing that talks.

One for all and all for one's,

the way we are at Hawthorn.

We are the Mighty Fighting Hawks.

It is sung to the tune of The Yankee Doodle Boy
The Yankee Doodle Boy
"The Yankee Doodle Boy", also well known as " Yankee Doodle Dandy" is a patriotic song from the Broadway musical Little Johnny Jones written by George M. Cohan...

.

Current issues

The closure of Waverley Park
Waverley Park
Waverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of...

 in 1999 was a setback as Hawthorn could no longer play home games in the south-east region where they have developed a large support base. Home games were moved to the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

. Their relationship with the south-east was rekindled in 2006, when the Hawks returned to Waverley as a training and administration centre. The oval and a section of the Sir Kenneth Luke stand have been retained by developer Mirvac as part of their redevelopment of the Waverley site as a housing estate, largely as a result of a Victorian government
Government of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...

 commitment to keep football there. Mirvac leases the facility to Hawthorn for a peppercorn rent, until the club takes ownership of the facility within the next 20 years. Hawthorn will maintain their association with Glenferrie, by housing several coteries and conducting social activities at the club's spiritual home.

On 30 September 2008, the Hawthorn Football Club relationship with Glenferrie Oval was rekindled when the club hosted a Supporters Day at the clubs spiritual home celebrating the clubs 10th premiership, attended by an estimated 20,000 fans.

In August 2005, former Victorian State Premier Jeff Kennett
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...

, a long time Hawthorn supporter and former number one membership ticket holder, was appointed to the board of the club with the intention of standing for president at the next coming Annual General Meeting
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...

. His rise to presidency was confirmed when on 14 December 2005, he was ushered in as president of the Hawthorn Football Club unopposed to the audience of a packed Hawthorn Town Hall.

Relationship with Tasmania

Since 2001 Hawthorn has successfully cultivated a following in Tasmania, where the membership base has increased from 1,000 to more than 9,000. Since 2006, Hawthorn has increased its presence in the state as part of an agreement with the tourism component of the Tasmanian government, whereby they are contracted to play four games in the state and the Tasmanian Government will be the major sponsor for the club. This relationship was renewed for a further period for five years (2012–16) in November 2011. Subject to AFL consent Hawthorn has offered to play an additional home game in Tasmania as part of the new deal, provided the number of rounds in the home/away season is increased by the AFL to accommodate an 18 team competition.

Five 2 Fifty

At their 2007 Annual General Meeting, Hawthorn embarked on a 5-year business plan titled "five2fifty", the core idea being that in the next five years the club will target to win 2 premierships and have fifty thousand members. As part of the plan, the football club wants to be seen as the most professional club in the AFL, and places great emphasis on the welfare of the people associated with the club.

HANZ-UP

In 2009 Hawthorn launched a community-based program called 'HANZ-UP! AFL Program' in New Zealand. The Hawks announced they had entered the New Zealand market, with an initial three-year deal with an option to extend the partnership until the end of 2018.

Hawthorn has joined with AFLNZ to promote HANZ-UP! through programs such as KiwiKick (a New Zealand version of Auskick), the Hawks Cup (a year-9 and year-10 schools competition) and the Trent Croad
Trent Croad
Trent Eric Croad is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .During his 222 game AFL career, he achieved some of the Australian Football League's highest honours including an AFL premiership medallion, All-Australian selection, representing...

 Scholarship Scheme (AFL international scholarships). Annual skills clinics will also be held throughout New Zealand featuring Hawthorn players. KiwiKick will see all participants receiving kits branded with the Hawks and HANZ-UP! logos, while Hawks Cup players will be given exclusive Hawthorn merchandise.

Support

Hawthorn boasts a large support base throughout Australia, particularly in Victoria and Tasmania. In accordance with a survey appearing in the 9/7/2008 edition of the Herald Sun, 11% of Victorian football supporters barrack for Hawthorn, behind only Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

 (14%), Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

 (12%) and Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...

 (12%).

According to club research, the club has well over 400,000 supporters across Australia. Notable supporters include former Victorian Premier and current club President Jeff Kennett
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...

, cricketers Ian Healy
Ian Healy
Ian Andrew Healy is a former cricketer who played for Queensland and Australia. A specialist wicketkeeper and useful right-hand middle-order batsman, he made an unheralded entry to international cricket in 1988, after only six first-class games. His work ethic and combativeness was much needed...

, Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor (cricketer)
Mark Anthony Taylor, AO is a former Australian cricket player and Test opening batsman from 1988–1999, as well as captain from 1994–1999, succeeding Allan Border...

, Terry Alderman
Terry Alderman
Terence Michael Alderman is a former Australian cricketer.He began his first-class career in 1974 with Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield and came to international prominence when he was chosen for the Australian national team to tour England in 1981...

 and Damien Fleming
Damien Fleming
Damien William Fleming is a former Australian cricketer who played in 20 Tests and 88 ODIs from 1994 to 2001....

, Wimbledon champion Pat Cash
Pat Cash
Patrick Hart "Pat" Cash is a retired Australian professional tennis player who won the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 1987.-Early career:...

, Australian Olympic Rower James Tomkins, basketball legend Andrew Gaze
Andrew Gaze
Andrew Barry Casson Gaze is Australia's best known basketball player, and one of its most successful. He is considered as the greatest player in the history of the NBL....

 and media personalities Stephen Quartermain and the late Graeme "Shirley" Strachan. Hollywood personalities Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...

, Jared Leto
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...

, Michael Chiklis
Michael Chiklis
Michael Charles Chiklis is an American actor, voice actor, occasional director and television producer. Some of the previous roles for which he is best known include Commissioner Tony Scali on the ABC police drama The Commish, LAPD Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama The Shield, Thing in...

 and Chris Evans
Chris Evans (actor)
Christopher Robert "Chris" Evans is an American actor. He played Cary Baston on the television series Opposite Sex, and transitioned to a film career, starring in several hits, including Not Another Teen Movie , Fierce People , Fantastic Four, sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer , and...

 have also been spotted at Hawthorn matches sporting Brown & Gold scarves.

Most of this widespread support can be accredited to the club's success in the 1970s and 1980s as the club successfully nurtured talent in its home ‘zones’ – primarily in the South and East of Victoria, as well as recruiting interstate talent from all over Australia. As a result the club has a very widespread membership with 7,000 Tasmanian members, 3,000 WA members and 3,000 QLD and NSW members complementing the clubs 35,000 Victorian members. In 2007 Hawthorn stated its ambitions were to grow their membership to beyond 50,000 by 2011 which was achieved in 2009.

In 2008 the Hawthorn Football Club drew 1,164,396 to all 25 completed games, a club record and 7th largest aggregate attendance for any club, of all time. In May 2009, the Hawthorn Football Club boasted the largest membership in the AFL, becoming the first Victorian club to break the 51,000 barrier for membership.

Membership base and crowds

Below is a table containing club membership numbers from 1984. Total attendance includes finals matches.
Hawthorn Football Club Membership 1984–2012
Year Total Members Total Attendance Average Attendance Finishing position
1984
1984 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1984.-Awards:* The Brownlow Medal was awarded to Peter Moore of Melbourne.* The Coleman Medal was awarded to Bernie Quinlan of Fitzroy....

8,051
688,714
27,548
2nd
1985
1985 VFL season
The 89th Victorian Football League Premiership season commenced in March 1985 and concluded on 28 September 1985 with Essendon winning their second consecutive Premiership in their third consecutive Grand Final battle with Hawthorn...

7,713
724,136
27,851
2nd
1986
1986 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1986.- Awards :* The Brownlow Medal was awarded to both Greg Williams of the Sydney Swans and Robert "Dipper" DiPierdomenico of the Hawthorn Hawks...

7,335
696,958
27,878
1st
1987
1987 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1987.-Night Series: defeated 8.10 to 8.6 in the Final at Waverley Park.-Leading goalkickers:...

6,516
687,039
26,425
2nd
1988
1988 VFL season
The 92nd Victorian Football League Premiership Season commenced in April 1988 and concluded on 24 September 1988, with Hawthorn winning their seventh Premiership in their sixth consecutive Grand Final appearance.-Night Series:...

7,099
625,448
26,060
1st
1989
1989 VFL season
-Notable events:* In Round 13, horrendous conditions at Windy Hill saw Essendon and Footscray play the lowest scoring game since the 1927 Grand Final, with the teams combining for only 6.15 ....

8,520
626,623
26,109
1st
1990
1990 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1990.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Ladder:All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 154...

9,882
730,512
31,761
5th
1991
1991 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1991.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:...

10,006
735,780
29,431
1st
1992
1992 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1992. The AFL Grand Final this year was won by the West Coast Eagles, who became the first non-Victorian club to win a Premiership.-Ladder:...

12,338
717,775
31,208
6th
1993
1993 AFL season
-Ladder:All teams played 20 games during the home and away season, for a total of 165. Each team also had two byes. An additional 7 games were played during the finals series.-Awards:*The Brownlow Medal was awarded to Gavin Wanganeen of ....

11,388
636,110
30,291
6th
1994
1994 AFL season
-Ladder:All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 165. An additional 9 games were played during the finals series. It was the first season that the AFL implemented a top 8 team finals series...

11,245
643,975
27,999
7th
1995
1995 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1995.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:*This was the first ANZAC Day clash held between Collingwood and Essendon which famously ended in a draw.-Round 5:-Round 6:...

12,728
574,277
26,103
15th
1996
1996 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1996.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Lighting Premiership:...

12,484
588,819
25,573
8th
1997
1997 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1997.The Port Adelaide Power joined the competition.The Brisbane Lions also joined the competition after the merger of the and ....

27,005
710,654
32,380
15th
1998
27,649
686,470
31,200
14th
1999
32,120
733,485
33,340
9th
2000
26,879
829,893
34,578
6th
2001
2001 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2001.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:Port Adelaide defeated Brisbane Lions 17.9 to 3.8 in the Final....

30,140
909,950
36,398
4th
2002
2002 AFL season
-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5 :-Ladder:All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 176...

33,319
776,517
35,329
10th
2003
2003 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2003.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:...

31,500
685,693
31,181
9th
2004
2004 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2004.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Wizard Home Loans Cup:The Wizard Home Loans Cup Final saw St...

31,255
624,343
28,379
15th
2005
2005 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2005.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:...

29,261
729,754
31,511
14th
2006
2006 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2006.-National Cup: 3.10.5 defeated 1.10.15 in the 2006 NAB Cup Final...

28,003
691,924
31,541
11th
2007
2007 AFL season
The 2007 AFL Season was the 111th season of the Australian Football League, the highest-level professional Australian rules football league in Australia...

31,064
881,144
36,714
6th
2008
2008 AFL season
-Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6 :-Round 7:-AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match:-Round 8:...

41,436
1,164,396
46,575
1st
2009
2009 AFL season
-Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5 :-Round 6:-Round 7:-Round 8:-Round 9 :-Round 10:...

52,496
895,089
40,686
9th
2010
2010 AFL season
-Premiership season:The draw for the 2010 AFL Premiership Season is not a random selection of matches, but rather is planned by the AFL. It is intended to produce a balanced draw while also providing the fans and television networks with blockbuster games. In a competition with 16 teams and 22...

53,951
922,136
41,915
7th
2011
2011 AFL season
The 2011 Australian Football League season was the 115th season of the Australian rules football competition. It was the debut year for , and was scheduled to be the only season to be played with 17 teams...

56,084
1,079,855
43,194
3rd
2012
2012 AFL season
The 2012 Australian Football League season is the 116th season of the Australian rules football competition. It is the first season in which the new will compete, bringing the number of teams in the competition to a record high eighteen....

30,639¹
N/A
N/A
N/A

– ¹ as at 1 December 2011

2012 promotions

At the conclusion of the 2011 season, Luke Breust
Luke Breust
Luke Breust is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for Hawthorn in the Australian Football League ....

 was promoted from the Rookie List to the Senior List.

Guernsey retirement

On Sunday the 6 March 2011, at its annual Family Day, club representatives announced that as of the 2011 season the No. 1 guernsey would be officially retired as a player number and instead presented as a tribute to the fans.
Max Bailey
Max Bailey
Max Bailey is an Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club of the Australian Football League.Drafted 18th overall by the Hawks in the 2005 AFL Draft, the ruckman from West Perth made his AFL debut in Round 18 of the 2006 season...

, who was the last player to wear #1, made the announcement by saying, "..the fans are number 1." He then presented the cheersquad with a giant Hawthorn guernsey displaying "1" on its back. The oversized guernsey will be on display at selected home games in 2011.

Coaching Staff

  • Coach:
  • Alastair Clarkson
    Alastair Clarkson
    Alastair Clarkson is a former Australian rules footballer and current coach of the Hawthorn Football Club.- North Melbourne :...

  • Assistant Coaches:
  • Leon Cameron
    Leon Cameron
    Leon Cameron is a former Australian rules footballer, who played in the Australian Football League .Cameron was the 7th selection in the 1988 National Draft for the Footscray Football Club...

     (Forward)
  • Brendon Bolton (Midfield)
  • Adam Simpson
    Adam Simpson
    Adam Simpson is a retired Australian rules footballer who is a former captain of North Melbourne.-Early life:Simpson grew up in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, where he played junior football with the Eltham Football Club and the Northern Knights-Early career:Debuting in 1995, he has won two...

     (Midfield)
  • Luke Beveridge
    Luke Beveridge
    Luke Beveridge is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne, Footscray and St Kilda in the Australian Football League during the 1990s...

     (Defence)
  • Damian Monkhorst
    Damian Monkhorst
    Damian Monkhorst is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the VFL/AFL.'Monkey' came to Collingwood from Woori Yallock and made his debut in 1988. The 202cm, 116kg big man was classed as a no.1 ruckman as soon as he got to Victoria Park, and his early career headed him to become a...

     (Ruck)
  • High Performance Coach:
  • David Rath
  • Development Coach:
  • David Flood
    David Flood
    David Flood is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the Victorian/Australian Football League ....

  • Opposition Analyst:
  • John Wardrop
  • Director of Coaching:
  • Chris Fagan

Officals

  • President:
  • Jeff Kennett
    Jeff Kennett
    Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...

  • Directors:
  • Jason Dunstall
    Jason Dunstall
    Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

  • Sean Cummins
  • Richard Garvey
  • Bruce Growcott
  • Geoff Harris
  • Andrew Kaye
  • Martin Ralston
  • Chief Executive Officer:
  • Stuart Fox
  • General Manager of Football:
  • Mark Evans
  • General Manager of Player Personnel:
  • Graham Wright
    Graham Wright
    Graham Wright is a former Australian rules footballer, in the Australian Football League.Wright was selected by Collingwood in the 1987 National Draft with their first round pick as a quick wingman, having shown great courage for Tasmanian side East Devonport...


Premierships

CompetitionLevelWinsYear Won
VFL/AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...


Seniors 10 1961
1961 VFL Grand Final
The 1961 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Footscray Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 23 September 1961. It was the 65th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...

, 1971
1971 VFL Grand Final
The 1971 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and St Kilda Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1971. It was the 75th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

, 1976
1976 VFL Grand Final
The 1976 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1976. It was the 80th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...

, 1978
1978 VFL Grand Final
The 1978 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 1978. It was the 82nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...

, 1983
1983 VFL Grand Final
The 1983 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 24 September 1983. It was the 87th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

, 1986
1986 VFL Grand Final
The 1986 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 27 September 1986. It was the 90th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

, 1988
1988 VFL Grand Final
The 1988 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 24 September 1988. It was the 92nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...

, 1989
1989 VFL Grand Final
The 1989 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Geelong Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 1989. It was the 93rd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

, 1991
1991 AFL Grand Final
The 1991 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and West Coast Eagles, held at Waverley Park in Melbourne on 28 September 1991. It was the 95th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League, staged to...

, 2008
2008 AFL Grand Final
The 2008 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football match contested between the Geelong Football Club and the Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on the 27th of September 2008...

VFL/AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

Night/Pre-Season Premierships 9 1968, 1969, 1977, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1999
VFL/AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

Reserves 4 1958, 1959, 1972, 1985
VFL/AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

Under 19s 1 1972
VFL/AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

McClelland Trophy
McClelland Trophy
The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football trophy, currently awarded to the minor premiers in the Australian Football League each year...

6 1961, 1971, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988
VFL/AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

Minor Premiers 9 1961, 1963, 1971, 1975, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989
VFL/AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

Seniors Runners Up 5 |1963
1963 VFL Grand Final
The 1963 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Geelong Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 5 October 1963. It was the 67th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the...

, 1975
1975 VFL Grand Final
The 1975 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the North Melbourne Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 27 September 1975. It was the 79th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...

, 1984
1984 VFL Grand Final
The 1984 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 1984. It was the 88th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

, 1985
1985 VFL Grand Final
The 1985 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 28 September 1985. It was the 89th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

, 1987
1987 VFL Grand Final
The 1987 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 26 September 1987. It was the 91st annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

VFL/AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

Reserves Runners Up 3 1960, 1978, 1997
VFL/AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

Under 19's Runners Up 1 | 1969
VFL/AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

Wooden Spoons
Wooden spoon (award)
A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...

11 1925, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1965

  • Hawthorn has won the 3rd most trophies of any club in VFL/AFL competition
  • Hawthorn is the most successful VFL/AFL club post World War II
  • Hawthorn is the only club in the VFL/AFL to have won Senior Premierships in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s
  • Hawthorn has won the most Night/Pre-Season Premierships

Finishing positions (1925–2011)

Finishing Position Year (Finals in Bold)Tally
1st 1961, 1971, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 2008 10
2nd 1963, 1975, 1984, 1985, 1987 5
3rd 1957, 1974, 1977, 1982, 2011 5
4th 2001 1
5th 1943, 1960, 1964, 1969, 1990, 1992, 2007 7
6th 1958, 1968, 1972, 1981, 1993, 1994, 2000 7
7th 1956, 1959, 1973, 1979, 2010 5
8th 1937, 1955, 1970, 1980, 1996 5
9th 1936, 1940, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1967, 1999, 2003, 2009 9
10th 1929, 1930, 1935, 1939, 1945, 2002 6
11th 1926, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1944, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1952, 2006 11
12th 1925, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1965 11
13th 1998 1
14th 2005 1
15th 1995, 1997, 2004 3
16th nil 0
17th nil 0
18th nil 0

Season summaries

Includes the Peter Crimmins Medal (Best and Fairest) winners.
Year Finishing position Coach Captain Best and Fairest Leading Goalkicker
1925 12th Alex Hall  Jim Jackson
Jim Jackson (Australian rules footballer)
James 'Jim' Jackson was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda, Collingwood and Hawthorn in the VFL.Jackson was a wingman and had a long career with 17 years between his first and last season. He started his career at St Kilda in 1909 but after managing just one game crossed to...

 
Fred Finch Leslie Woodford (35)
1926 11th Dan Minogue
Dan Minogue
Daniel 'Dan' Minogue was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.Minogue was considered a courageous, or perhaps reckless, centre half-back as epitomised when he sustained a broken collarbone playing for Collingwood Football Club in the first minute of the 1911 Grand Final...

 
Dan Minogue,
Pat Burke
Bert Hyde
Bert Hyde
A. V. "Bert" Hyde was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL.Hyde was a fullforward and was Hawthorn's premier target up forward during their first decade in the league. He topped their goalkicking from 1926–1930 with a best of 62 goals in 1928. He also represented...

 (27)
1927 12th Dan Minogue Clarrie Lethlean
Clarrie Lethlean
Clarrie Lethlean was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne and Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League .Lethlean, who started his career at Oakleigh, made nine appearances for Melbourne in the 1921 VFL season....

 
Bert Hyde (41)
1928 12th Bert Sutton
Bert Sutton
Herbert 'Bert' Sutton was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne and Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1920s.Sutton, who came to South Melbourne from Williamstown, was used mostly as the flanks...

 
Bert Sutton Miles Sellers Bert Hyde (62)
1929 10th Bert Chadwick  Bert Chadwick Ernest Utting Bert Hyde (47)
1930 10th John Harris John Harris John Sharpley Bert Hyde (52)
1931 11th John Harris John Harris Jack Ryan (39)
1932 12th Jim Jackson Bert Mills
Bert Mills
Albert Mills was an Australian rules footballer who played for and captained Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League .Mills usually played as a ruckman but was also used at centre half-back...

 
Stan Spinks
Stan Spinks
Stan Spinks is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League during the 1930s. He played as both a centreman and wingman in his career....

 
Jack Ryan (37)
1933 11th Bill Twomey, Sr.
Bill Twomey, Sr.
William 'Bill' Patrick Twomey was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood and Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League . His sons Mick, Pat and Bill all played league football with Collingwood....

 
Bill Twomey, Sr.
Bill Twomey, Sr.
William 'Bill' Patrick Twomey was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood and Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League . His sons Mick, Pat and Bill all played league football with Collingwood....

 
Bert Mills Ted Pool
Ted Pool
Ted Pool was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL.Pool was a rover and by playing 200 games of VFL football he became the first ever West Australian born player to reach the milestone....

 (27)
1934 11th Bill Twomey Bert Mills Ernie Loveless
Ernie Loveless
Ernie Loveless was an Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda and Hawthorn in the VFL....

 
Jack Green (80)
1935 10th Ivan McAlpine
Ivan McAlpine
Ivan McAlpine was an Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray and Hawthorn in the VFL.McAlpine was wingman and regularly represented Victoria in interstate football. He won the inaugural Footscray Best and Fairest award in 1927 and won the award again in 1930 and 1932...

 
Ivan McAlpine Bert Mills Jack Green (63)
1936 9th Ivan McAlpine Ivan McAlpine Leo Murphy
Leo Murphy
Leo Murphy was an Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1930s. He was the father of Fitzroy great John Murphy, and grandfather of Carlton's Marc Murphy; the trio is the only father-son-grandson combination in VFL/AFL history to have each played 100 games.Murphy...

 
Norm Hillard
Norm Hillard
Norm Hillard was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn and Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League ....

 (26)
1937 8th Ivan McAlpine Ivan McAlpine Leo Murphy Norm Hillard (31)
1938 11th Ivan McAlpine Bert Mills Stan Spinks Alby Naismith (30)
1939 10th Len Thomas
Len Thomas
Len Thomas was an Australian rules footballer who played 187 games with South Melbourne in the VFL during the 1930s, before finishing his career as captain-coach at both Hawthorn and North Melbourne...

 
Len Thomas
Len Thomas
Len Thomas was an Australian rules footballer who played 187 games with South Melbourne in the VFL during the 1930s, before finishing his career as captain-coach at both Hawthorn and North Melbourne...

 
Bert Mills Alec Albiston
Alec Albiston
Alec Albiston is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League and with North Melbourne for his final season. A goalkicking rover, he was captain and coach of Hawthorn between 1947 and 1949...

 (37)
1940 9th Bert Mills Bert Mills Andy Angwin
Andy Angwin
Andrew "Andy" Angwin was an Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League ....

 
Alby Naismith (25)
1941 12th Bert Mills Bert Mills Alec Albiston Alec Albiston (57)
1942 11th Roy Cazaly Jack Carmody
Jack Carmody
Jack Carmody was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood and Hawthorn in the VFL....

 
Jack Barker Alec Albiston (32)
1943 5th Roy Cazaly Bob Williams Jim Bohan
Jim Bohan
Jim Bohan is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL. He played in the centre or at centre half forward....

 
Wally Culpitt
Wally Culpitt
Wally Culpitt was an Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1940s.Culpitt was a key position player and started his career in defence. The 1943 season saw him pushed to fullforward and he topped Hawthorn's goalkicking with 43 goals, and again the following season...

 (43)
1944 11th Tommy Lahiff
Tommy Lahiff
Thomas 'Tommy' Lahiff was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon, South Melbourne and Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League before becoming a successful coach and radio commentator....

 
Jim Bohan Jack Blackman
Jack Blackman
Jack Blackman was an Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1940s.Blackman was a centre half back and first played for Hawthorn in 1939. He didn't play between 1940 and 1944 due to his war service in the Navy. When he returned in 1944 he did not miss a game all...

 
Wally Culpitt (57)
1945 10th Keith Shea Keith Shea
Keith Shea
Keith Shea was an Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in the VFL during the 1930s.Shea was a half forward and played with Carlton from 1932 to 1937. He polled well in the Brownlow Medal, the closest he came to winning was in 1934 where he fell 2 votes short with an equal 3rd placing...

 
Jim Bohan
Jim Bohan
Jim Bohan is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL. He played in the centre or at centre half forward....

 
Alec Albiston (66)
1946 12th Keith Shea Jim Bohan Alec Albiston Albert Prior
Albert Prior
Albert Prior is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1940s.A fullforward, he topped Hawthorn's goalkicking in every season from 1946-1949 with a best of 67 goals in 1947.-External links:...

 (52)
1947 11th Alec Albiston Alec Albiston Wally Culpitt Albert Prior (67)
1948 11th Alec Albiston Alec Albiston Kevin Curran
Kevin Curran (footballer)
Kevin Curran was an Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1940s.Curran was recruited to Hawthorn from Traralgon and played his first game with them in 1940....

 
Albert Prior (47)
1949 12th Alec Albiston Alec Albiston Col Austen Albert Prior (48)
1950 12th Bob McCaskill
Bob McCaskill
Robert 'Bob' McCaskill was an Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond in the Victorian Football League during the 1920s and coached both North Melbourne and Hawthorn....

 
Peter O'Donohue,
Kevin Curran
John Kennedy  Gordon Anderson (21)
1951 11th Bob McCaskill Peter O'Donohue,
Kevin Curran
John Kennedy Pat Cash
Pat Cash, Sr.
Patrick "Pat" Cash, Sr. was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League ....

 (26)
1952 11th Jack Hale
Jack Hale
Jack Hale is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in the VFL during the 1940s before becoming a coach....

,
Bob McCaskill
Peter O'Donohue John Kennedy John McDonald (25)
1953 12th Jack Hale Ted Fletcher Ted Fletcher
Ted Fletcher
Edward 'Ted' Fletcher is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL.Fletcher was used in a variety of positions during his career including the ruck and in defence. In 1953 he was appointed club captain and won the Hawthorn 'Best and Fairest' award...

 
Kevin Coghlan
Kevin Coghlan (footballer)
Kevin "Skeeter" Coghlan is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood and Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League ....

 (19)
1954 9th Jack Hale Ted Fletcher John Kennedy Kevin Coghlan (27)
1955 8th Jack Hale John Kennedy Graham Arthur
Graham Arthur
Graham Arthur is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the VFL in the 1950s and 1960s.Arthur played primarily as a half forward, debuting while still only 18 years old....

 
Kevin Coghlan (28)
1956 7th Jack Hale John Kennedy Roy Simmonds
Roy Simmonds
Roy Simmonds was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1950s.Simmonds was used all around the ground by Hawthorn, most often though on the half back flank. His finest season came in 1956 where he won Hawthorn's best and fairest and finished equal fourth in...

 
John Peck (31)
1957 3rd Jack Hale John Kennedy Alf Hughes
Alf Hughes
Alfred 'Alf' Hughes was an Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1950s.Hughes was recruited from East Brunswick and played mainly in the back pockets for Hawthorn. In 1957 he won Hawthorn's best and fairest award and finished equal 7th in the Brownlow Medal...

 
Terry Ingersoll (33)
1958 6th Jack Hale John Kennedy Graham Arthur John Peck (27)
1959 7th Jack Hale John Kennedy Allan Woodley
Allan Woodley
Allan Woodley was an Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1950s. A follower, he was also known by his nickname 'The Colonel'....

 
Garry Young
Garry Young
Garry Young is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League .A key position forward, Young topped Hawthorn's goalkicking in 1959 and 1960 and was a premiership player in 1961....

 (35)
1960 5th John Kennedy Graham Arthur Brendan Edwards
Brendan Edwards
Brendan Edwards Brendan Edwards Brendan Edwards (Born 18 March 1936 is a former Australian rules football footballer who played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League VFL from 1956 to 1961 and again in the 1963 season. He won their best and fairest award in 1960 and represented Victoria at...

 
Garry Young (36)
1961 Premiers John Kennedy Graham Arthur Ian Law
Ian Law
Ian Law is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn throughout the 1960s.A rover, Law won the Hawthorn Best and fairest award in just his second year of VFL football and also finished 1961 third in the Brownlow Medal count...

 
John Peck (49)
1962 9th John Kennedy Graham Arthur Graham Arthur John Peck (38)
1963 Grand Finalist John Kennedy Graham Arthur Ian Law John Peck (75*)
1964 5th Graham Arthur Graham Arthur Ian Law John Peck (68*)
1965 12th Graham Arthur Graham Arthur,
John Peck
David Parkin John Peck (56*)
1966 9th Peter O'Donohue Graham Arthur Ray Wilson John Peck (32)
1967 10th John Kennedy  Graham Arthur Bob Keddie
Bob Keddie
Bob Keddie is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League and West Adelaide, South Adelaide and Glenelg in the South Australian National Football League ....

 
Peter Hudson
Peter Hudson
Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....

 (57)
1968 6th John Kennedy Graham Arthur Peter Hudson Peter Hudson (125*)
1969 5th John Kennedy David Parkin Bob Keddie Peter Hudson (120)
1970 8th John Kennedy David Parkin Peter Hudson
Peter Hudson
Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....

 
Peter Hudson (146*)
1971 Premiers John Kennedy David Parkin Leigh Matthews
Leigh Matthews
Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...

 
Peter Hudson (150*)
1972 6th John Kennedy David Parkin Leigh Matthews Peter Knights
Peter Knights
Peter Knights is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries...

 (46)
1973 7th John Kennedy David Parkin Don Scott
Don Scott (footballer)
Don Scott is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. Scott was a fearless ruckman and premiership captain for Hawthorn Football Club....

 
Leigh Matthews (51)
1974 3rd John Kennedy Peter Crimmins
Peter Crimmins
Peter Crimmins was a rover for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL, playing 176 games and kicking 231 goals from 1966 to 1975. He was an inspirational player and captain from 1974 who wore number 5. He was a member of the Hawks' 1971 premiership team.At the completion of the 1974 VFL season...

 
Leigh Matthews Michael Moncrieff
Michael Moncrieff
Michael Moncrieff is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1970s and early 80s....

 (67)
1975 Grand Finalist John Kennedy Peter Crimmins Peter Knights Leigh Matthews (68*)
1976 Premiers John Kennedy Don Scott Leigh Matthews Michael Moncrieff (97)
1977 3rd David Parkin Don Scott Leigh Matthews Peter Hudson
Peter Hudson
Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....

 (110*)
1978 Premiers David Parkin Don Scott Leigh Matthews Michael Moncrieff (90)
1979 7th David Parkin Don Scott Kelvin Moore
Kelvin Moore
Kelvin D. Moore is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.Kelvin Moore was one of the best full-backs of his era and played in three Hawthorn Football Club premierships during his 300-game career from 1970-1984.In 2005 Moore was inducted into the Australian Football...

 
Michael Moncrieff (45)
1980 8th David Parkin Don Scott Leigh Matthews Michael Moncrieff (86)
1981 6th Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame at its inception in 1996...

 
Leigh Matthews Terry Wallace
Terry Wallace
Terry Wallace is a former professional Australian rules football player and coach.As a player, his career spanned three VFL/AFL clubs; most notably Hawthorn where he played in three premierships as well as achieving All-Australian selection, and two Best and Fairests with the Footscray Football Club...

 
Leigh Matthews (48)
1982 3rd Allan Jeans Leigh Matthews Leigh Matthews Leigh Matthews (74)
1983 Premiers Allan Jeans Leigh Matthews Terry Wallace Leigh Matthews (43)
1984 Grand Finalist Allan Jeans Leigh Matthews Russell Greene Leigh Matthews (77)
1985 Grand Finalist Allan Jeans Leigh Matthews Dermott Brereton
Dermott Brereton
Dermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent , he is known for his aggressive style of play. Brereton kicked 464 goals and played in five Premierships for during...

 
Dermott Brereton (58)
1986 Premiers Allan Jeans Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck is a seven time premiership winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League / Australian Football League , where he is the games record holder....

 
Gary Ayres
Gary Ayres
Gary Ayres is a former Australian rules footballer for the Hawthorn Football Club and currently the senior coach for the Port Melbourne Football Club in the Victoria Football League.-Playing career:...

 
Jason Dunstall
Jason Dunstall
Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

 (77)
1987 Grand Finalist Allan Jeans Michael Tuck John Platten
John Platten
John Patrick "The Rat" Platten is a former Australian rules footballer. With his unruly tangle of curls he was a distinctive figure on the field with tremendous tenacity and the ability to accumulate possessions week after week.-Career:Platten began his career with the Central District Bulldogs...

 
Jason Dunstall (94)
1988 Premiers Alan Joyce
Alan Joyce
Alan Joyce is a former Australian rules footballer who after playing 49 games for Hawthorn became a premiership winning coach for the club. Originally from Glen Iris, Joyce played in the ruck for Hawthorn and gained life membership in 1996.In 1988 when incumbent coach Allan Jeans became ill due to...

 
Michael Tuck Jason Dunstall Jason Dunstall (132*)
1989 Premiers Allan Jeans Michael Tuck Jason Dunstall Jason Dunstall (138*)
1990 5th Allan Jeans Michael Tuck Andrew Collins  Jason Dunstall (83)
1991 Premiers Alan Joyce Michael Tuck Ben Allan Jason Dunstall (82)
1992 6th Alan Joyce Gary Ayres Jason Dunstall Jason Dunstall (145*)
1993 6th Alan Joyce Gary Ayres Jason Dunstall Jason Dunstall (123)
1994 7th Peter Knights
Peter Knights
Peter Knights is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries...

 
Chris Langford John Platten Jason Dunstall (101)
1995 15th Peter Knights Jason Dunstall Darren Jarman
Darren Jarman
Darren Jarman is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League. An elite midfielder-cum-forward, Jarman amassed a total of 386 games of senior football at SANFL, AFL and Representative level. He was widely reocgnised as one of the most skillful players of his era...

 
Jason Dunstall (66)
1996 8th Ken Judge
Ken Judge
- Playing career :He was recruited from East Fremantle Football Club to Hawthorn and made an immediate impact in his VFL debut in 1983, being part of a premiership side in his first season and winning the Hawks' Best First Year Player award...

 
Jason Dunstall Paul Salmon
Paul Salmon
Paul Salmon is a former Australian rules footballer. Recruited from North Ringwood, the 206 cm Salmon was, at the time, along with Carlton's Justin Madden, the tallest man to play AFL football...

 
Jason Dunstall (102)
1997 15th Ken Judge Jason Dunstall Paul Salmon Nick Holland
Nick Holland
Nick Holland is a former Australian rules football player. He played 179 games for the Hawthorn Football Club between 1994 and 2005, serving as Vice Captain between 1999 and 2003. He is a previous winner of the AFL Rising Star, Hawthorn's Best & Fairest award, Hawthorn's leading goal kicker in...

 (29)
1998 13th Ken Judge Jason Dunstall Shane Crawford
Shane Crawford
Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

 
Jason Dunstall (54)
1999 9th Ken Judge Shane Crawford Shane Crawford Aaron Lord
Aaron Lord
Aaron Lord is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for Geelong and Hawthorn in the AFL.A forward pocket specialist, Lord made his league debut in 1994 with Geelong...

 (42)
2000 6th Peter Schwab
Peter Schwab
Peter Schwab is a former Australian rules footballer and coach in the VFL/AFL.-Playing career:Recruited from Bennettswood, he played with Hawthorn from 1980-1991, going on to play 171 games and boot 38 goals...

 
Shane Crawford Nick Holland,
Daniel Chick
Daniel Chick
Daniel Chick is a professional Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn and the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League. Chick is also well known for having a finger amputated in 2002 so he could continue playing football.- Hawthorn career :Chick made his debut for Hawthorn...

 
Nick Holland (51)
2001 4th Peter Schwab Shane Crawford Joel Smith
Joel Smith
Joel Smith is a former Australian rules footballer.Beginning his career in 1995 as a bright young prospect for St Kilda, Smith was touted as the future of the club....

 
John Barker (41)
2002 10th Peter Schwab Shane Crawford Shane Crawford Daniel Chick (31)
2003 9th Peter Schwab Shane Crawford Shane Crawford Nathan Thompson
Nathan Thompson
Nathan Thompson is a former Australian rules footballer, who previously played with the Hawthorn and North Melbourne Football Clubs in the Australian Football League. He is currently a part of the Panel on the Sunday Footy Show....

 (38)
2004 15th Peter Schwab Shane Crawford Peter Everitt
Peter Everitt
Peter "Spida" Everitt is a former Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda, Hawthorn Hawks and the Sydney Swans in the AFL. He made his debut for St Kilda in 1993 and in 2003 began playing for Hawthorn. Everitt was traded to the Sydney Swans at the end of 2006. Following the club's 2008...

 
Nathan Thompson (36)
2005 14th Alastair Clarkson
Alastair Clarkson
Alastair Clarkson is a former Australian rules footballer and current coach of the Hawthorn Football Club.- North Melbourne :...

 
Richie Vandenberg
Richie Vandenberg
Richard "Richie" Vandenberg was an Australian Rules Footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League. He was the captain of the Hawks for the final three years of his career 2005 -2007....

 
Luke Hodge
Luke Hodge
Luke Hodge is a professional Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

 
Mark Williams
Mark L. Williams
Mark Williams is a former indigenous Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn and Essendon in the Australian Football League...

 (63)
2006 11th Alastair Clarkson Richie Vandenberg Sam Mitchell
Sam Mitchell (footballer)
Samuel Mitchell is an Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Debut season :...

 
Mark Williams (60)
2007 6th Alastair Clarkson Richie Vandenberg Brad Sewell
Brad Sewell
Brad Sewell is an Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . He was selected with pick number 6 in the Rookie Draft in 2003...

Lance Franklin
Lance Franklin
Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . Nicknamed 'Buddy', Franklin primarily plays as a centre half-forward, but also spends some time in the midfield, where he plays along the wing...

 (73)
2008 Premiers Alastair Clarkson Sam Mitchell Lance Franklin Lance Franklin (113*)
2009 9th Alastair Clarkson Sam Mitchell Sam Mitchell Lance Franklin (67)
2010 7th Alastair Clarkson Sam Mitchell Luke Hodge Lance Franklin (64)
2011 3rd Alastair Clarkson Luke Hodge Sam Mitchell Lance Franklin (82*)


(*) Competition Leading Goal-Kicker.

Team of the Century

Captains

The following is list of Captains of the Hawthorn Football Club senior team in chronological order.
Captain Years
John Harris
John Harris (Australian footballer)
John 'Jiggy' Harris was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood and Hawthorn in the VFL.Recruited from Brighton, Harris started his career at Collingwood where he played as both a wingman and half forward flanker. He was a member of Collingwood premiership sides in 1927 and 1928...

 
1931
Bert Mills
Bert Mills
Albert Mills was an Australian rules footballer who played for and captained Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League .Mills usually played as a ruckman but was also used at centre half-back...

 
1932–1934
Ivan McAlpine
Ivan McAlpine
Ivan McAlpine was an Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray and Hawthorn in the VFL.McAlpine was wingman and regularly represented Victoria in interstate football. He won the inaugural Footscray Best and Fairest award in 1927 and won the award again in 1930 and 1932...

 
1935–1937
Bert Mills
Bert Mills
Albert Mills was an Australian rules footballer who played for and captained Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League .Mills usually played as a ruckman but was also used at centre half-back...

 
1938
Len Thomas
Len Thomas
Len Thomas was an Australian rules footballer who played 187 games with South Melbourne in the VFL during the 1930s, before finishing his career as captain-coach at both Hawthorn and North Melbourne...

 
1939
Bert Mills
Bert Mills
Albert Mills was an Australian rules footballer who played for and captained Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League .Mills usually played as a ruckman but was also used at centre half-back...

 
1940–1941
Jack Carmody
Jack Carmody
Jack Carmody was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood and Hawthorn in the VFL....

 
1942
Bob Williams  1943
Jim Bohan
Jim Bohan
Jim Bohan is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL. He played in the centre or at centre half forward....

 
1944
Keith Shea
Keith Shea
Keith Shea was an Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in the VFL during the 1930s.Shea was a half forward and played with Carlton from 1932 to 1937. He polled well in the Brownlow Medal, the closest he came to winning was in 1934 where he fell 2 votes short with an equal 3rd placing...

 
1945
Jim Bohan
Jim Bohan
Jim Bohan is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL. He played in the centre or at centre half forward....

 
1946
Alec Albiston
Alec Albiston
Alec Albiston is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League and with North Melbourne for his final season. A goalkicking rover, he was captain and coach of Hawthorn between 1947 and 1949...

 
1947–1949
Peter O'Donohue
Peter O'Donohue
Peter O'Donohue is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1940s.O'Donohue usually played in defence or in the centre and played 109 games with Hawthorn. He was made captain during the 1950 season and kept that position until the end of 1952...

 & Kevin Curran
Kevin Curran (footballer)
Kevin Curran was an Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1940s.Curran was recruited to Hawthorn from Traralgon and played his first game with them in 1940....

 
1950
Peter O'Donohue
Peter O'Donohue
Peter O'Donohue is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1940s.O'Donohue usually played in defence or in the centre and played 109 games with Hawthorn. He was made captain during the 1950 season and kept that position until the end of 1952...

 
1951–1952
Ted Fletcher
Ted Fletcher
Edward 'Ted' Fletcher is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL.Fletcher was used in a variety of positions during his career including the ruck and in defence. In 1953 he was appointed club captain and won the Hawthorn 'Best and Fairest' award...

 
1953–1954
John Kennedy Sr  1955–1959
Graham Arthur
Graham Arthur
Graham Arthur is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the VFL in the 1950s and 1960s.Arthur played primarily as a half forward, debuting while still only 18 years old....

 
1960–1968
David Parkin
David Parkin
David Parkin is a former Australian rules footballer and four-time premiership coach.- Pre-football career :He attended Melbourne High School and during his time there, was the school vice-captain and captain of football....

 
1969–1973
Peter Crimmins
Peter Crimmins
Peter Crimmins was a rover for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL, playing 176 games and kicking 231 goals from 1966 to 1975. He was an inspirational player and captain from 1974 who wore number 5. He was a member of the Hawks' 1971 premiership team.At the completion of the 1974 VFL season...

 
1974–1975
Don Scott
Don Scott (footballer)
Don Scott is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. Scott was a fearless ruckman and premiership captain for Hawthorn Football Club....

 
1976–1980
Leigh Matthews
Leigh Matthews
Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...

 
1981–1985
Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck is a seven time premiership winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League / Australian Football League , where he is the games record holder....

 
1986–1991
Gary Ayres
Gary Ayres
Gary Ayres is a former Australian rules footballer for the Hawthorn Football Club and currently the senior coach for the Port Melbourne Football Club in the Victoria Football League.-Playing career:...

 
1992–1993
Chris Langford
Chris Langford
Chris Langford is a former professional Australian rules footballer who is currently a game administrator.Langford is best known for his 303 game career for the Hawthorn Hawks between 1983 and 1997. He captained the club in the 1994 season and earned All-Australian selection. It was his second...

 
1994
Jason Dunstall
Jason Dunstall
Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

 
1995–1998
Shane Crawford
Shane Crawford
Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

 
1999–2004
Richie Vandenberg  2005–2007
Sam Mitchell
Sam Mitchell (footballer)
Samuel Mitchell is an Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Debut season :...

 
2008–2010
Luke Hodge
Luke Hodge
Luke Hodge is a professional Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

 
2011–

Coaches

The following is a list of Coaches who have coached the Hawthorn Football Club.
Coach P W L D W% Years
Alex Hall 17 3 14 0 17.65 1925
Dan Minogue
Dan Minogue
Daniel 'Dan' Minogue was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.Minogue was considered a courageous, or perhaps reckless, centre half-back as epitomised when he sustained a broken collarbone playing for Collingwood Football Club in the first minute of the 1911 Grand Final...

36 4 31 1 12.50 1926–27
Bert Sutton
Bert Sutton
Herbert 'Bert' Sutton was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne and Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1920s.Sutton, who came to South Melbourne from Williamstown, was used mostly as the flanks...

18 0 18 0 0.00 1928
Albert Chadwick
Albert Chadwick
Sir Albert Edward "Bert" Chadwick was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. He was born in Beechworth and educated at Tungamah High School....

18 4 14 0 22.22 1929
John Harris
John Harris (Australian footballer)
John 'Jiggy' Harris was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood and Hawthorn in the VFL.Recruited from Brighton, Harris started his career at Collingwood where he played as both a wingman and half forward flanker. He was a member of Collingwood premiership sides in 1927 and 1928...

36 9 27 0 25.00 1930–31
Jim Jackson
Jim Jackson (Australian rules footballer)
James 'Jim' Jackson was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda, Collingwood and Hawthorn in the VFL.Jackson was a wingman and had a long career with 17 years between his first and last season. He started his career at St Kilda in 1909 but after managing just one game crossed to...

18 3 15 0 16.67 1932
Arthur Rademacher
Arthur Rademacher
Arthur Rademacher was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League .Rademacher, originally from Leopold, was a half back flanker in South Melbourne's 1918 premiership team...

4 1 3 0 25.00 1933
Bill Twomey Sr
Bill Twomey, Sr.
William 'Bill' Patrick Twomey was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood and Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League . His sons Mick, Pat and Bill all played league football with Collingwood....

32 5 27 0 15.63 1933–34
Ivan McAlpine
Ivan McAlpine
Ivan McAlpine was an Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray and Hawthorn in the VFL.McAlpine was wingman and regularly represented Victoria in interstate football. He won the inaugural Footscray Best and Fairest award in 1927 and won the award again in 1930 and 1932...

72 22 50 0 30.56 1935–38
Len Thomas
Len Thomas
Len Thomas was an Australian rules footballer who played 187 games with South Melbourne in the VFL during the 1930s, before finishing his career as captain-coach at both Hawthorn and North Melbourne...

18 5 12 1 30.56 1939
Bert Mills
Bert Mills
Albert Mills was an Australian rules footballer who played for and captained Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League .Mills usually played as a ruckman but was also used at centre half-back...

36 10 26 0 27.78 1940–41
Roy Cazaly
Roy Cazaly
Roy Cazaly was an Australian rules football player famous for his high marks and ruck work, which gave rise to the phrase "Up There Cazaly".-Early life/career:...

30 10 20 0 33.33 1942–43
Tommy Lahiff
Tommy Lahiff
Thomas 'Tommy' Lahiff was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon, South Melbourne and Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League before becoming a successful coach and radio commentator....

18 2 15 1 13.89 1944
Keith Shea
Keith Shea
Keith Shea was an Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in the VFL during the 1930s.Shea was a half forward and played with Carlton from 1932 to 1937. He polled well in the Brownlow Medal, the closest he came to winning was in 1934 where he fell 2 votes short with an equal 3rd placing...

39 9 30 0 23.08 1945–46
Alec Albiston
Alec Albiston
Alec Albiston is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League and with North Melbourne for his final season. A goalkicking rover, he was captain and coach of Hawthorn between 1947 and 1949...

57 12 45 0 21.05 1947–49
Bob McCaskill
Bob McCaskill
Robert 'Bob' McCaskill was an Australian rules footballer who played for Richmond in the Victorian Football League during the 1920s and coached both North Melbourne and Hawthorn....

36 4 32 0 11.11 1950–51
Jack Hale
Jack Hale
Jack Hale is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in the VFL during the 1940s before becoming a coach....

147 61 85 1 41.84 1952–59
John Kennedy Sr 298 181 115 2 61.07 1960–63, 1967–76
Graham Arthur
Graham Arthur
Graham Arthur is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the VFL in the 1950s and 1960s.Arthur played primarily as a half forward, debuting while still only 18 years old....

36 17 19 0 47.22 1964–65
Peter O'Donohue
Peter O'Donohue
Peter O'Donohue is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1940s.O'Donohue usually played in defence or in the centre and played 109 games with Hawthorn. He was made captain during the 1950 season and kept that position until the end of 1952...

18 5 13 0 27.78 1966
Roy Simmonds
Roy Simmonds
Roy Simmonds was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1950s.Simmonds was used all around the ground by Hawthorn, most often though on the half back flank. His finest season came in 1956 where he won Hawthorn's best and fairest and finished equal fourth in...

1 0 1 0 0.00 1973
David Parkin
David Parkin
David Parkin is a former Australian rules footballer and four-time premiership coach.- Pre-football career :He attended Melbourne High School and during his time there, was the school vice-captain and captain of football....

94 57 37 0 60.64 1977–80
Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans
Allan Jeans was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame at its inception in 1996...

221 159 61 1 72.17 1981–87, 1989–90
Alan Joyce
Alan Joyce
Alan Joyce is a former Australian rules footballer who after playing 49 games for Hawthorn became a premiership winning coach for the club. Originally from Glen Iris, Joyce played in the ruck for Hawthorn and gained life membership in 1996.In 1988 when incumbent coach Allan Jeans became ill due to...

93 67 26 0 72.04 1988, 1991–93
Peter Knights
Peter Knights
Peter Knights is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries...

45 20 25 0 44.44 1994–95
Ken Judge
Ken Judge
- Playing career :He was recruited from East Fremantle Football Club to Hawthorn and made an immediate impact in his VFL debut in 1983, being part of a premiership side in his first season and winning the Hawks' Best First Year Player award...

89 37 50 2 42.70 1996–99
Peter Schwab
Peter Schwab
Peter Schwab is a former Australian rules footballer and coach in the VFL/AFL.-Playing career:Recruited from Bennettswood, he played with Hawthorn from 1980-1991, going on to play 171 games and boot 38 goals...

109 52 57 0 47.71 2000–04
Chris Connolly
Chris Connolly
Chris Connolly is the current Melbourne Football Club football manager as well as assistant coach.-Playing career:...

1 1 0 0 100.00 2001
Donald McDonald 5 2 3 0 40.00 2004
Alastair Clarkson
Alastair Clarkson
Alastair Clarkson is a former Australian rules footballer and current coach of the Hawthorn Football Club.- North Melbourne :...

162 88 73 1 54.32 2005–

  • Statistics are correct as of the end of 2011

Legend:
P = Played
W = Won
L = Lost
D = Drew
W% = Win percentage

Presidents

The following is a list of Presidents of the Hawthorn Football Club.
President Years
J. W. Kennon 1925–1931
Dr. J. Jona J.P. 1932–1949
D. A. Prentice 1950–1952
Dr. A. S. Ferguson 1953–1967
Phillip Ryan 1968–1979
Ronald Cook 1980–1987
Trevor Coote 1988–1993
Geoff Lord
Geoff Lord
Geoff Lord is an Australian businessman and the current chairman of the Australian football club, Melbourne Victory in the A-League. A well known corporate identity in Melbourne and former president of Hawthorn Football Club , he founded the Belgravia Group in 1990...

 
1993–1995
Brian Coleman
Brian Coleman (footballer born 1935)
Brian H. Coleman is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League .Coleman played six senior games for Hawthorn, all in the 1959 VFL season. He was recruited from Camberwell....

 
1995-1996
Ian Dicker 1996–2005
Jeff Kennett
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...

 
2005–2011
To be confirmed 2011–

Most games

  • 426 Michael Tuck
    Michael Tuck
    Michael Tuck is a seven time premiership winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League / Australian Football League , where he is the games record holder....

  • 332 Leigh Matthews
    Leigh Matthews
    Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...

  • 305 Shane Crawford
    Shane Crawford
    Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

  • 303 Chris Langford
    Chris Langford
    Chris Langford is a former professional Australian rules footballer who is currently a game administrator.Langford is best known for his 303 game career for the Hawthorn Hawks between 1983 and 1997. He captained the club in the 1994 season and earned All-Australian selection. It was his second...

  • 302 Don Scott
    Don Scott (footballer)
    Don Scott is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. Scott was a fearless ruckman and premiership captain for Hawthorn Football Club....

  • 300 Kelvin Moore
    Kelvin Moore
    Kelvin D. Moore is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.Kelvin Moore was one of the best full-backs of his era and played in three Hawthorn Football Club premierships during his 300-game career from 1970-1984.In 2005 Moore was inducted into the Australian Football...

  • 269 Gary Ayres
    Gary Ayres
    Gary Ayres is a former Australian rules footballer for the Hawthorn Football Club and currently the senior coach for the Port Melbourne Football Club in the Victoria Football League.-Playing career:...

  • 269 Jason Dunstall
    Jason Dunstall
    Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

  • 264 Peter Knights
    Peter Knights
    Peter Knights is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries...

  • 258 John Platten
    John Platten
    John Patrick "The Rat" Platten is a former Australian rules footballer. With his unruly tangle of curls he was a distinctive figure on the field with tremendous tenacity and the ability to accumulate possessions week after week.-Career:Platten began his career with the Central District Bulldogs...


Most Goals

  • 1254 Jason Dunstall
    Jason Dunstall
    Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

  • 915 Leigh Matthews
    Leigh Matthews
    Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...

  • 727 Peter Hudson
    Peter Hudson
    Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....

  • 629 Michael Moncrieff
    Michael Moncrieff
    Michael Moncrieff is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1970s and early 80s....

  • 475 John Peck
  • 451 Lance Franklin
    Lance Franklin
    Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . Nicknamed 'Buddy', Franklin primarily plays as a centre half-forward, but also spends some time in the midfield, where he plays along the wing...

  • 427 Dermott Brereton
    Dermott Brereton
    Dermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent , he is known for his aggressive style of play. Brereton kicked 464 goals and played in five Premierships for during...

  • 383 Alec Albiston
    Alec Albiston
    Alec Albiston is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League and with North Melbourne for his final season. A goalkicking rover, he was captain and coach of Hawthorn between 1947 and 1949...

  • 320 Michael Tuck
    Michael Tuck
    Michael Tuck is a seven time premiership winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League / Australian Football League , where he is the games record holder....

  • 293 Gary Buckenara
    Gary Buckenara
    Gary Buckenara played Australian rules football for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL during the 1980s.Buckenara first played senior football for Subiaco in the WAFL from 1979 to 1981. Subiaco agreed to lease him for three years for $210,000 and after a court case began his career at Hawthorn...

  • 282 Ben Dixon
  • 269 Bert Hyde
    Bert Hyde
    A. V. "Bert" Hyde was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL.Hyde was a fullforward and was Hawthorn's premier target up forward during their first decade in the league. He topped their goalkicking from 1926–1930 with a best of 62 goals in 1928. He also represented...

  • 264 Paul Hudson
    Paul Hudson
    Paul David Hudson is a weather presenter for BBC Yorkshire and BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England.-Education:...

  • 258 Albert Prior
    Albert Prior
    Albert Prior is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1940s.A fullforward, he topped Hawthorn's goalkicking in every season from 1946-1949 with a best of 67 goals in 1947.-External links:...

  • 254 John Hendrie
    John Hendrie
    John Grattan Hendrie is a Scottish former professional association footballer who played on the right wing or in attack....

  • 253 Jarryd Roughead
    Jarryd Roughead
    Jarryd Roughead is an Australian rules footballer playing for Hawthorn in the Australian Football League .-Early life:Born in Leongatha in southern Gippsland, Roughead played Gippsland Power...


Records set by players

  • Most matches: Michael Tuck
    Michael Tuck
    Michael Tuck is a seven time premiership winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League / Australian Football League , where he is the games record holder....

     – 426 (VFL/AFL Record)
  • Most goals in a season: Peter Hudson
    Peter Hudson
    Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....

     – 150 (1971) (VFL/AFL Record)
  • Most 100 goals seasons: 12 – Jason Dunstall
    Jason Dunstall
    Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

     6 (1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996), Peter Hudson
    Peter Hudson
    Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....

     5 (1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1977), Lance Franklin
    Lance Franklin
    Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . Nicknamed 'Buddy', Franklin primarily plays as a centre half-forward, but also spends some time in the midfield, where he plays along the wing...

     1 (2008) (VFL/AFL Record)
  • Most goals kicked in a match: Jason Dunstall
    Jason Dunstall
    Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

     – 17 goals 5 behinds (Round 7, 1992, Waverley Park)
  • Most consecutive matches: Andrew Collins – 189

Notable club records

  • Biggest Winning Margin – 165 points, Round 21, 2011 (MCG) – Hawthorn 31.11 (197) v Port Adelaide
    Port Adelaide Football Club
    The Port Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, which plays in the Australian Football League and the South Australian National Football League...

     5.2 (32)
  • Highest Final Score – 231, Round 6, 1991 (North Hobart Oval) – Hawthorn 36.15 (231) v Fitzroy
    Fitzroy Football Club
    The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...

     11.8 (74)
  • Most Scoring Shots – 66 Shots, Round 6, 1977 (Princes Park) – Hawthorn 25.41 (191) v St Kilda 16.7 (103)

Peter Crimmins Medal (Best & Fairest) winners

Hawthorn's Best & Fairest Award is titled as the Peter Crimmins Medal, in honour of former Hawthorn Captain Peter Crimmins
Peter Crimmins
Peter Crimmins was a rover for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL, playing 176 games and kicking 231 goals from 1966 to 1975. He was an inspirational player and captain from 1974 who wore number 5. He was a member of the Hawks' 1971 premiership team.At the completion of the 1974 VFL season...

 who played as a rover, during 1966–1975 and led the side in 1974–75. He died of cancer just days after the club's 1976 Premiership win.

The Match Committee now awards the votes. The player with the maximum number of votes at the conclusion of the season, is awarded the medal. See Seasonwise listing for the complete list of winners.

Brownlow Medal winners

  • Col Austen
    Col Austen
    Colin 'Col' Austen was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL from 1941 to 1943 and then again from 1946 to 1949. He then played for the Richmond Football Club from 1950 to 1952....

     (1949)
  • Robert DiPierdomenico
    Robert DiPierdomenico
    Robert "Dipper" DiPierdomenico is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL of Italian descent and a member of the VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century...

     (1986)
  • John Platten
    John Platten
    John Patrick "The Rat" Platten is a former Australian rules footballer. With his unruly tangle of curls he was a distinctive figure on the field with tremendous tenacity and the ability to accumulate possessions week after week.-Career:Platten began his career with the Central District Bulldogs...

     (1987)
  • Shane Crawford
    Shane Crawford
    Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

     (1999)

Leigh Matthews Trophy winners

  • Leigh Matthews
    Leigh Matthews
    Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...

     (1982)
  • Russell Greene
    Russell Greene
    Russell Greene is a former Australian rules footballer and member of the prestigious 300 game club.He was just sixteen when he made his VFL debut in 1974 for St Kilda. In 1980 he joined Hawthorn and was a key player during a successful decade for the club...

     (1984)
  • Jason Dunstall
    Jason Dunstall
    Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

     (1992)
  • Shane Crawford
    Shane Crawford
    Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

     (1999)

Note: Before 2002, this was the VFL/AFL Players Association
AFL Players Association
The AFL Players Association, or AFLPA, is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League players....

 Most Valuable Player award. In 2005, all winners of this honour prior to 2002 were retrospectively awarded the Leigh Matthews Trophy.

Norm Smith Medal winners

  • Colin Robertson
    Colin Robertson (Australian rules footballer)
    Colin Robertson is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1980 until 1986....

     (1983)
  • Gary Ayres
    Gary Ayres
    Gary Ayres is a former Australian rules footballer for the Hawthorn Football Club and currently the senior coach for the Port Melbourne Football Club in the Victoria Football League.-Playing career:...

     (1986, 1988)
  • Paul Dear
    Paul Dear
    Paul Dear is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn.A half forward flanker, Dear made his debut in the 1987 season and played in that year's Grand Final...

     (1991)
  • Luke Hodge
    Luke Hodge
    Luke Hodge is a professional Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

     (2008)

Coleman Medal winners

  • John Peck (1963, 1964, 1965)
  • Peter Hudson
    Peter Hudson
    Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....

     (1968, 1970, 1971, 1977)
  • Leigh Matthews
    Leigh Matthews
    Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...

     (1975)
  • Jason Dunstall
    Jason Dunstall
    Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

     (1988, 1989, 1992)
  • Lance Franklin
    Lance Franklin
    Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . Nicknamed 'Buddy', Franklin primarily plays as a centre half-forward, but also spends some time in the midfield, where he plays along the wing...

     (2008, 2011)

AFL Rising Star winners

  • Nick Holland
    Nick Holland
    Nick Holland is a former Australian rules football player. He played 179 games for the Hawthorn Football Club between 1994 and 2005, serving as Vice Captain between 1999 and 2003. He is a previous winner of the AFL Rising Star, Hawthorn's Best & Fairest award, Hawthorn's leading goal kicker in...

     (1995)
  • Sam Mitchell
    Sam Mitchell (footballer)
    Samuel Mitchell is an Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Debut season :...

     (2003)

Michael Tuck Medal winners

  • Paul Hudson
    Paul Hudson (Australian rules footballer)
    Paul Hudson is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn, the Western Bulldogs and Richmond.-Playing career:...

     (1992)
  • Paul Salmon
    Paul Salmon
    Paul Salmon is a former Australian rules footballer. Recruited from North Ringwood, the 206 cm Salmon was, at the time, along with Carlton's Justin Madden, the tallest man to play AFL football...

     (1999)

Alex Jesaulenko Medal (AFL Mark of the Year) winners

  • Peter Knights
    Peter Knights
    Peter Knights is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries...

     (1972, 1975, 1977)
  • Gary Buckenara
    Gary Buckenara
    Gary Buckenara played Australian rules football for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL during the 1980s.Buckenara first played senior football for Subiaco in the WAFL from 1979 to 1981. Subiaco agreed to lease him for three years for $210,000 and after a court case began his career at Hawthorn...

     (1986)

Phil Manassa Medal (AFL Goal of the Year) winners

  • Cyril Rioli
    Cyril Rioli
    Cyril Rioli is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

     (2009)
  • Lance Franklin
    Lance Franklin
    Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . Nicknamed 'Buddy', Franklin primarily plays as a centre half-forward, but also spends some time in the midfield, where he plays along the wing...

     (2010)

Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees

  • Leigh Matthews
    Leigh Matthews
    Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...

  • Peter Hudson
    Peter Hudson
    Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....

  • Jason Dunstall
    Jason Dunstall
    Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

  • Michael Tuck
    Michael Tuck
    Michael Tuck is a seven time premiership winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League / Australian Football League , where he is the games record holder....

  • Robert DiPierdomenico
    Robert DiPierdomenico
    Robert "Dipper" DiPierdomenico is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL of Italian descent and a member of the VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century...

  • Darren Jarman
    Darren Jarman
    Darren Jarman is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League. An elite midfielder-cum-forward, Jarman amassed a total of 386 games of senior football at SANFL, AFL and Representative level. He was widely reocgnised as one of the most skillful players of his era...

  • Gary Ayres
    Gary Ayres
    Gary Ayres is a former Australian rules footballer for the Hawthorn Football Club and currently the senior coach for the Port Melbourne Football Club in the Victoria Football League.-Playing career:...

  • Dermott Brereton
    Dermott Brereton
    Dermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent , he is known for his aggressive style of play. Brereton kicked 464 goals and played in five Premierships for during...

  • Chris Langford
    Chris Langford
    Chris Langford is a former professional Australian rules footballer who is currently a game administrator.Langford is best known for his 303 game career for the Hawthorn Hawks between 1983 and 1997. He captained the club in the 1994 season and earned All-Australian selection. It was his second...

  • John Platten
    John Platten
    John Patrick "The Rat" Platten is a former Australian rules footballer. With his unruly tangle of curls he was a distinctive figure on the field with tremendous tenacity and the ability to accumulate possessions week after week.-Career:Platten began his career with the Central District Bulldogs...

  • Graham Arthur
    Graham Arthur
    Graham Arthur is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the VFL in the 1950s and 1960s.Arthur played primarily as a half forward, debuting while still only 18 years old....

  • Peter Knights
    Peter Knights
    Peter Knights is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries...

  • Paul Salmon
    Paul Salmon
    Paul Salmon is a former Australian rules footballer. Recruited from North Ringwood, the 206 cm Salmon was, at the time, along with Carlton's Justin Madden, the tallest man to play AFL football...


All Australian representatives (AFL only)

  • Jason Dunstall
    Jason Dunstall
    Jason Hadfield Dunstall is a former Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club of the AFL. He is the third greatest goalkicker in the history of the VFL/AFL. Dunstall is regarded as one of the greatest full-forwards to have ever played, kicking 1254 goals, a feat only...

     (1992, 1994)
  • Darren Jarman
    Darren Jarman
    Darren Jarman is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League. An elite midfielder-cum-forward, Jarman amassed a total of 386 games of senior football at SANFL, AFL and Representative level. He was widely reocgnised as one of the most skillful players of his era...

     (1992, 1995)
  • John Platten
    John Platten
    John Patrick "The Rat" Platten is a former Australian rules footballer. With his unruly tangle of curls he was a distinctive figure on the field with tremendous tenacity and the ability to accumulate possessions week after week.-Career:Platten began his career with the Central District Bulldogs...

     (1992)
  • Ben Allan
    Ben Allan
    Benjamin Thomas "Ben" Allan is a former Australian rules footballer. He was educated at Aquinas College, Perth- Hawthorn career :He played as a rover...

     (1993, 1994)
  • Chris Langford
    Chris Langford
    Chris Langford is a former professional Australian rules footballer who is currently a game administrator.Langford is best known for his 303 game career for the Hawthorn Hawks between 1983 and 1997. He captained the club in the 1994 season and earned All-Australian selection. It was his second...

     (1994)
  • Shane Crawford
    Shane Crawford
    Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

     (1996, 1998, 1999, 2002)
  • Paul Salmon
    Paul Salmon
    Paul Salmon is a former Australian rules footballer. Recruited from North Ringwood, the 206 cm Salmon was, at the time, along with Carlton's Justin Madden, the tallest man to play AFL football...

     (1997)
  • Jonathan Hay (2001)
  • Joel Smith
    Joel Smith
    Joel Smith is a former Australian rules footballer.Beginning his career in 1995 as a bright young prospect for St Kilda, Smith was touted as the future of the club....

     (2001, 2003)
  • Trent Croad
    Trent Croad
    Trent Eric Croad is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .During his 222 game AFL career, he achieved some of the Australian Football League's highest honours including an AFL premiership medallion, All-Australian selection, representing...

     (2005)
  • Peter Everitt
    Peter Everitt
    Peter "Spida" Everitt is a former Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda, Hawthorn Hawks and the Sydney Swans in the AFL. He made his debut for St Kilda in 1993 and in 2003 began playing for Hawthorn. Everitt was traded to the Sydney Swans at the end of 2006. Following the club's 2008...

     (2005)
  • Luke Hodge
    Luke Hodge
    Luke Hodge is a professional Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

     (2005, 2008, 2010 (Captain))
  • Lance Franklin
    Lance Franklin
    Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Jr is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . Nicknamed 'Buddy', Franklin primarily plays as a centre half-forward, but also spends some time in the midfield, where he plays along the wing...

     (2008, 2010, 2011)
  • Sam Mitchell
    Sam Mitchell (footballer)
    Samuel Mitchell is an Australian rules football player for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League .- Debut season :...

     (2011)

International Rules representatives

  • Bob Keddie
    Bob Keddie
    Bob Keddie is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League and West Adelaide, South Adelaide and Glenelg in the South Australian National Football League ....

     (1967)
  • Ian Law
    Ian Law
    Ian Law is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn throughout the 1960s.A rover, Law won the Hawthorn Best and fairest award in just his second year of VFL football and also finished 1961 third in the Brownlow Medal count...

     (1967)
  • Peter Hudson
    Peter Hudson
    Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....

     (1968)
  • Des Meagher
    Des Meagher
    Des Meagher was an Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League .Meagher was a left footed wingman and was recruited to Hawthorn from Old Xaverians. He debuted for Hawthorn in 1966 and such was his swift rise that by the following season he was playing...

     (1968)
  • Peter Knights
    Peter Knights
    Peter Knights is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries...

     (1978)
  • Don Scott
    Don Scott (footballer)
    Don Scott is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. Scott was a fearless ruckman and premiership captain for Hawthorn Football Club....

     (1978)
  • Michael Tuck
    Michael Tuck
    Michael Tuck is a seven time premiership winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League / Australian Football League , where he is the games record holder....

     (1978)
  • Alan Martello
    Alan Martello
    Alan Martello is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1970 and 1980 for Hawthorn, and between 1981 and 1983 for Richmond. Martello was a tough Centre Half Forward and a prodigious kicker of the football. He was the youngest man ever to reach 200 games...

     (1978)
  • Robert DiPierdomenico
    Robert DiPierdomenico
    Robert "Dipper" DiPierdomenico is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL of Italian descent and a member of the VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century...

     (1984, 1986 – won Beitzel Medal for best series player in 1986)
  • Dermott Brereton
    Dermott Brereton
    Dermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent , he is known for his aggressive style of play. Brereton kicked 464 goals and played in five Premierships for during...

     (1984, 1986 – Coach in 1999, 2000)
  • Russell Greene
    Russell Greene
    Russell Greene is a former Australian rules footballer and member of the prestigious 300 game club.He was just sixteen when he made his VFL debut in 1974 for St Kilda. In 1980 he joined Hawthorn and was a key player during a successful decade for the club...

     (1984)
  • John Platten
    John Platten
    John Patrick "The Rat" Platten is a former Australian rules footballer. With his unruly tangle of curls he was a distinctive figure on the field with tremendous tenacity and the ability to accumulate possessions week after week.-Career:Platten began his career with the Central District Bulldogs...

     (1984, 1986)
  • Chris Langford
    Chris Langford
    Chris Langford is a former professional Australian rules footballer who is currently a game administrator.Langford is best known for his 303 game career for the Hawthorn Hawks between 1983 and 1997. He captained the club in the 1994 season and earned All-Australian selection. It was his second...

     (1986)
  • Gary Buckenara
    Gary Buckenara
    Gary Buckenara played Australian rules football for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL during the 1980s.Buckenara first played senior football for Subiaco in the WAFL from 1979 to 1981. Subiaco agreed to lease him for three years for $210,000 and after a court case began his career at Hawthorn...

     (1986)
  • Peter Curran
    Peter Curran (footballer)
    Peter Curran is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn and the Brisbane Bears in the VFL/AFL.A courageous strong-marking forward, Curran played an important part in the most successful era in Hawthorn's history, the 1980s...

     (1986)
  • Dean Anderson
    Dean Anderson
    Dean Anderson is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn and St Kilda in the Australian Football League. A half forward, he kicked 4 goals in the Hawk's 1989 Grand Final triumph.-External links:...

     (1990)
  • Shane Crawford
    Shane Crawford
    Shane Barry Crawford is a former Australian rules footballer, having played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

     (1998, 1999, 2002 (Captain), 2003 (Captain))
  • Nick Holland
    Nick Holland
    Nick Holland is a former Australian rules football player. He played 179 games for the Hawthorn Football Club between 1994 and 2005, serving as Vice Captain between 1999 and 2003. He is a previous winner of the AFL Rising Star, Hawthorn's Best & Fairest award, Hawthorn's leading goal kicker in...

     (1998)
  • Trent Croad
    Trent Croad
    Trent Eric Croad is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League .During his 222 game AFL career, he achieved some of the Australian Football League's highest honours including an AFL premiership medallion, All-Australian selection, representing...

     (1999, 2000, 2005)
  • Jonathan Hay (2001)
  • Joel Smith
    Joel Smith
    Joel Smith is a former Australian rules footballer.Beginning his career in 1995 as a bright young prospect for St Kilda, Smith was touted as the future of the club....

     (2001)
  • Daniel Chick
    Daniel Chick
    Daniel Chick is a professional Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn and the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League. Chick is also well known for having a finger amputated in 2002 so he could continue playing football.- Hawthorn career :Chick made his debut for Hawthorn...

     (2001)
  • Angelo Lekkas
    Angelo Lekkas
    Angelos Lekkas is a former Australian rules footballer who played his entire professional career with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

     (2002)
  • Jade Rawlings
    Jade Rawlings
    Jade Rawlings was the caretaker coach of the Richmond Tigers Football Club, and is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the AFL with the Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs and the North Melbourne Football Clubs....

     (2003)
  • Luke Hodge
    Luke Hodge
    Luke Hodge is a professional Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League...

     (2005)
  • Chance Bateman
    Chance Bateman
    Chance Bateman is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for Hawthorn in the Australian Football League ....

     (2006)
  • Brad Sewell
    Brad Sewell
    Brad Sewell is an Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . He was selected with pick number 6 in the Rookie Draft in 2003...

     (2008)
  • Michael Osborne
    Michael Osborne
    Michael Osborne is an Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League . He is a medium size midfielder capable of winning the ball in contests and using it well, especially by foot....

     (2008)
  • Liam Shiels
    Liam Shiels
    Liam Shiels is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League, currently with the Hawthorn Football Club.Draft history: 2008 NAB AFL Draft 2nd round selection No...

     (2011)
  • Matt Suckling (2011)

Home grounds

During the history of the Hawthorn Football Club, the club has had four mainstay home grounds (Glenferrie Oval, Princes Park, Waverley Park and the Melbourne Cricket Ground). Prior to adopting Glenferrie Oval as the club's traditional home the club had a nomadic history, playing home games at whatever the most suitable obtainable ground was for that season. Their first home ground, the Hawthorn C.G. (West Hawthorn Reserve) was abandoned after the first season due to conditions imposed by the Hawthorn Cricket Club and they played at John Wren's Richmond Racecourse in 1903 (which was off Bridge Road between Stawell Street and Westbank Terrace – where Tudor Street and 5 no through streets are now located) and moved to the Richmond Cricket Ground in 1904. Their merger with Boroondara in 1905 had them move to Boroondara's ground, which at the time was the East Melbourne Cricket Ground. Hawthorn dropped their colours of blue and red (similar to Melbourne's guernsey at the time) and adopted Boroondara's colours, which was a black guernsey with red sash but retained the name Hawthorn FC. When the Hawthorn council opened the Hawthorn City Sports Ground (Glenferrie Oval) in October 1905 they endeavored to get a senior club to represent the district to be the main tenant during the next football season. The Hawthorn FC, competing in the Metropolitan Junior Football Association (now known as the VAFA), and Hawthorn Rovers (a popular club in the Eastern Suburbs Association) merged to form the Hawthorn City Football Club and made Glenferrie their home ground (the word City was later dropped and the club was just known as the Hawthorn Football Club when it entered the VFA in 1914) .
Stadium Years Played Wins Losses Draw Win Percentage
Hawthorn Cricket Ground 1902 8 4 4 0 50%
Richmond Racecourse 1903 8 2 6 0 25%
Richmond Cricket Ground 1904 7 1 6 0 14%
East Melbourne Cricket Ground
East Melbourne Cricket Ground
The East Melbourne Cricket Ground was a sports venue located at the corner of Wellington Parade and Jolimont Parade, in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...

1905 9 1 8 0 11%
Glenferrie Oval
Glenferrie Oval
Glenferrie Oval is an Australian rules football stadium located in Hawthorn, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.It is the historic home of and is synonymous with the Hawthorn Football Club, who played there from 1903 and as a VFL/AFL club from 1925–1973, and retained the ground as an...

1906–1973 584 245 333 6 47%
Princes Park 1974–1991 153 114 39 74%
Waverley Park
Waverley Park
Waverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of...

1992–1999 137 69 38 51%
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

2000– 127 68 59 53.5%
York Park 2001–2016 31 21 10 68%

Glenferrie Oval: 1906–1973

Between 1906 and 1973, home games were played at the clubs traditional home, Glenferrie Oval, in the heart of the affluent suburb. The state of Glenferrie Oval and its location, close by the Glenferrie train station on the Melbourne East route, was a central reason why the club was firstly accepted into the VFA in 1914, and then the VFL in 1925. The club's onfield results had not reached any great heights in those early days but both the VFA and VFL had recognised the importance for representation in the suburbs east of the Yarra River. Glenferrie Oval was pivotal in these advancements of the Hawthorn Football Club as it was considered the most suitable at the time.

In 1914, when Hawthorn entered the VFA, the council was required to build a new dressing shed to meet the standards of the VFA competition. These dressing sheds were erected in the north-west corner of the ground, where the Tuck Stand now resides, and were later moved to the Rathmines Road Reserve in Hawthorn where it still exists today. In 1922 the ground was widened by 30 yards and lengthened westward by 50 yards - taking in the previous outer reserve ground - to the dimensions that remain today. The 1922 ground improvements also resulted in Glenferrie Oval's first main stand, which was a wooden structure to be known as the Kennon-Owen Stand, and had been purchased from the East Melbourne Cricket Ground in late 1921 when that ground was closed due to expansion of the Jolimont railyards. The Kennon-Owen Stand was located where the Victorian Weightlifting Building is now situated. Glenferrie Oval is universally known for its famous art-deco Grandstand, built in 1937 and later named the Michael Tuck stand after the club great, and housed the new changerooms and administration of the club. It is now heritage protected as one of the most significant buildings of the era. The Kennon-Owen Stand was replaced by the Dr A S Ferguson Stand, a new brick stand opened in 1966 which was 185 feet long and could seat 1450, with 400 undercover. It was later to be home of the Past Players Association and the original Museum. The northern part of the Ferguson stand was demolished to make way for the Victorian Weightlifting Building. In 1963 the large scoreboard was erected at the eastern end of the ground. After the club won the 1961 premiership it was decided to buy some houses on the other side of Linda Crescent to build the Social Club which opened in 1962.

Glenferrie Oval was regarded as one of the better and picturesque suburban grounds, loved by opposition fans and Hawthorn fans alike. Whilst the ground was relatively small by VFL standards, the intimate nature of the ground (with the grandstands and train line surrounding the ground) made for a terridic atmosphere with the constant 'buzz' engulfing the Hawthorn suburb as the club rose from celler dwellers to league power during the franatic 1960s and 1970s, coinciding with the 1961 and 1971 pennants.

Whilst the club was forced to leave the ground in 1973 to cater for the clubs growing crowds and demands of VFL football, Glenferrie Oval still holds a special place in the hearts of all Hawthorn supporters. From 1974–2006 the club used the ground as a home and administration base, conducting training sessions and running a social club, across on Linda Crescent before the club made the move to Waverley Park to service the clubs growing supporter base in Melbourne's outer Eastern suburbs.

In the aftermath of Hawthorn's 2008 Premiership, Hawthorn took the premiership to Glenferrie Oval to celebrate with their adoring fans on the Sunday. The event was attended by an estimated 20,000+ supporters, packing the rust bucket venue and stretching across the road to Linda Crescent and along the Linda Crescent street, such was the turnout, the club had to close the gates to the ground hours before the team arrived at the ground. The massive turnout justified the longheld view that although the club has moved on from the halycon days at Glenferrie, the ground and suburb is still the club's spiritual home, after 35 years playing games away from the suburb of Hawthorn, the Hawthorn Football Club and suburb of Hawthorn share a unique bond.

Princes Park: 1974–1991

The decision to move away from Glenferrie Oval and subsequent move to Princes Park, was a difficult transition, alienating many supporters. Prior to moving to Princes Park, the club pushed to build a stadium in Box Hill and mooted a move to the MCG (1964) both were rejected. The move to Princes Park – the traditional home of the Carlton Football Club, coincided with the clubs golden era, hoisting the '76, '78, '83, '86, '88, '89 and '91 premiership flags at the ground. Combined with Carlton's '79, '81, '82 and '87 flags, Princes Park became a hub of success throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Whilst the club had immense success at the ground, the ground wasn't a favourite with the majority of the Hawthorn membership. Located in Melbourne's Northern suburbs, the traditional home of the Carlton Football Club – one of the traditional powerhouses of the VFL, the move away from the clubs heartland caused many Hawks supporters to turn their back on the club.

Recognising this, as early as the mid 1980s the Hawthorn administration pushed to relocate from Princes Park to Waverley Park, however due to the nature of long term terms of tenancy at Princes Park and ruthlessness of the Carlton Football Club for Hawthorn to abide by this contract, a move away from Princes Park before the end of the long term agreement would result in financial ruin for the club.

Waverley Park: 1992–1999

In 1990, with the backing of the AFL, Hawthorn set the wheels in motion for a move to VFL Park, playing a series of home games at Waverley Park – located 20 km east of the Melbourne CBD and location of Hawthorn's 1991 Premiership success. Whilst the move to Waverley was met with a drop in on-field success, symbolising the birth of the barren period for the club on the field leading up until 2008, the club successfully harboured large increases in attendances and membership at the ground.

As a result of the AFL closing the venue and subsequently selling the property to Mirvac to finance the Docklands stadia, the club had the opportunity to move home games to either the lavish new Docklands percent (alongside Essendon, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne) or join traditional tenants Melbourne and Richmond as well as Collingwood at the MCG. Highlighting the potential to push attendances and membership beyond 50,000, the club decided to push for a relocation to the MCG in line with the 'Family Club' mantra.

In January 2006, in the club's centennial year at Glenferrie Oval, the club's administration, museum and player base relocated to Waverley Park.

Melbourne Cricket Ground: 2000–present

On 13 March 2000, Hawthorn played its first home game as an MCG tenant against Collingwood, becoming one of four tenant clubs to play at the ground. Until 2008 the shift from to the MCG has been met with a barren period on the field for the Hawks, having played in five out of nine losing seasons at the ground. Unquestionably the lowest point as a tenant club at the ground occurred in Round 16, 2004, when bottom of the ladder Hawthorn drew just 11,682 to a game against Port Adelaide, drawing widespread ridicule.

Since 2000, Hawthorn has played between seven to nine home games at the MCG, with secondary home games being played at Docklands Stadium and York Park in Tasmania. In 2008, Hawthorn played seven home games at the MCG, drawing 369,614 (52,802) to seven games and a total of 773,089 (59,468) to 13 games at the venue for the year.

York Park: 2001–present

Since 2001, Hawthorn's has played "secondary" home games at York Park (currently also known by the sponsorship name of Aurora Stadium) in Tasmania. The Hawks have a very successful record at the ground, with many in the media dubbing the venue "Fortress Aurora" for opposition sides. As a result of the agreement with the Tasmanian government, thousands of Melbourne-based Hawthorn supporters have travelled to Tasmania to watch the Hawks play, increasing activity within the local Launceston economy. By the same token, Hawthorn has successfully increased its following in the state, with an estimated 25% of young Tasmanian supporters now barracking for their "local" team.

Reserves

Hawthorn no longer fields a standalone reserves team, however it did field teams until the AFL restructured the competition. It has formed a number of grassroots alliances, including a major alliance with the Box Hill Hawks Football Club that plays in the Victorian Football League
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...

.

The club had won reserves premierships in 1958, 1959, 1972 & 1985.

1958

1958 VFL Grand Final
1958 VFL Grand Final
The 1958 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Melbourne Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 20 September 1958. It was the 62nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the...

Reserves
G B Total
Hawthorn 7 11 53
Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

 
6 13 49
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

Crowd: 97,956


The reserve grade won the club's first flag after leading by 26 points at half time.
Collingwood managed to narrow the gap but inaccurate kicking they failed by four points.
Gary Young kicked four goals.

1959

1959 VFL Grand Final
1959 VFL Grand Final
The 1959 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Melbourne Football Club and Essendon Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 20 September 1959. It was the 63rd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers...

Reserves
G B Total
Hawthorn 13 18 96
Fitzroy
Fitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...

 
9 11 65
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

Crowd: 103,506

In 1959 Hawthorn Reserves went back to back after defeating Fitzroy by 31 points.
The Hawks opened up a 38 point half time lead by kicking six goals in the second quarter.

1972

1972 VFL Grand Final
1972 VFL Grand Final
The 1972 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Richmond Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 7 October 1972. It was the 76th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the...

Reserves
G B Total
Hawthorn 13 10 88
Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

 
12 12 84
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

Crowd: 112,393


In a team that contained four of the previous years senior premiership players , Geoff Angus
Geoff Angus
Geoff Angus is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL.Angus played as a centreman during his career and made his debut for Hawthorn in 1967. He was a member of their 1971 premiership side....

, Ken Beck
Ken Beck
Ken Beck is a retired Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League .Originally from Stawell, Beck was a tall ruckman and made his league debut in 1962. He was a regular member of the team during the 1960s and was a reserve in their 1971 premiership...

 , Michael Porter
Michael Porter
Michael Eugene Porter is the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School. He is a leading authority on company strategy and the competitiveness of nations and regions. Michael Porter’s work is recognized in many governments, corporations and academic circles globally...

 and Ray Wilson
Ray Wilson (Australian rules footballer)
Ray Wilson is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL.Wilson was a wingman and made his debut for Hawthorn in 1966, winning that season's Hawthorn 'Best and Fairest' award. He played on the interchange bench in Hawthorn's 1971 Grand Final win over St Kilda.-External...

, future club champions Michael Moncrieff
Michael Moncrieff
Michael Moncrieff is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1970s and early 80s....

, Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck is a seven time premiership winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League / Australian Football League , where he is the games record holder....

, Kelvin Matthews
Kelvin Matthews
Kelvin Matthews is a former Australian rules footballer. He is the brother of Leigh Matthews with whom he played with at Hawthorn. Kelvin was a centreman and was a member of the Hawk's 1976 Premiership side.-External links:*...

 and Alan Goad
Alan Goad
Alan Goad is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL.A rover, Goad was a premiership player in 1976, kicking 2 goals in Hawthorn's grand final win over North Melbourne...

 the Hawks led all day before Melbourne hit the front with two minutes to go, a late goal to Fitzgerald won the game.

1985

1985 VFL Grand Final
1985 VFL Grand Final
The 1985 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 28 September 1985. It was the 89th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...

Reserves
G B Total
Hawthorn 18 16 124
Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...

 
16 12 108
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

Crowd: 100,412

In 1985 Hawthorn Reserves contained Hawthorn veterans, Peter Knights
Peter Knights
Peter Knights is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries...

, Gary Buckenara
Gary Buckenara
Gary Buckenara played Australian rules football for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL during the 1980s.Buckenara first played senior football for Subiaco in the WAFL from 1979 to 1981. Subiaco agreed to lease him for three years for $210,000 and after a court case began his career at Hawthorn...

, Rodney Eade
Rodney Eade
Rodney "Rocket" Eade is a former Australian rules footballer and the former coach of the Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League...

 and Colin Robertson
Colin Robertson (Australian rules footballer)
Colin Robertson is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1980 until 1986....

. Buckenara kicked 8 goals.

1972

1972 VFL Grand Final
1972 VFL Grand Final
The 1972 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Richmond Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 7 October 1972. It was the 76th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the...

Under 19's
G B Total
Hawthorn 13 23 101
North Melbourne  13 20 98
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

Crowd: 112,393


Hawthorn fielded a side in the VFL Under 19 competition. The Under 19s played in two Grand Finals , losing the first grand final in 1969 to Richmond but in 1972 won against North Melbourne.
The team included Bernie Jones
Bernie Jones
Bernie Jones is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn and Essendon in the VFL during the 1970s.A ruckman, Jones played in two Grand Finals in his first stint with Hawthorn, the first in 1975 which they lost and the other the following season which they won...

 , Ron Beattie
Ron Beattie
Ron Beattie is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League .Beattie, a defender, made nine appearances for Hawthorn, in the second half of the 1974 VFL season....

, Michael Zemski
Michael Zemski
Michael Zemski is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League .-Sources:...

 and Ian Scrimshaw.

See also

  • Melbourne Hawks
    Melbourne Hawks
    The Melbourne Football Club/Hawthorn Football Club merger was a planned Australian Football League team that would have consisted of the merger between the Melbourne and Hawthorn Football Clubs at the end of the 1996 season...

  • Melbourne Football Club/Hawthorn Football Club planned merger
  • Sport in Australia
    Sport in Australia
    Australia has a long sporting history dating back to the mid 1800s. By the 1920s, a number of sports were being played by both men and women, including cricket, badminton, judo, swimming, tennis, netball, lacrosse, golf, hockey and various codes of football....

  • Sport in Victoria
    Sport in Victoria
    The state of Victoria, Australia, is known for its sporting culture. The Victorian capital, Melbourne is often referred to as the sporting capital of the world....

  • List of Hawthorn Football Club players


Footnotes

Notes
1.Including standing room.


References
Further reading}}}}}}

External links



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