Hawthorn Football Club

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**Hawthorn Football Club**

Full name	Hawthorn Football Club
Nickname	The Hawks
Strip	Vertical brown and gold striped guernsey
Founded	1873
Sport	Australian rules football
League	Australian Football League
Ground	Melbourne Cricket Ground
Club song	'We're a happy team at Hawthorn'
President/Chair	Jeff Kennett
Coach	Alastair Clarkson
Captain	Richard Vandenberg
2006	11th

The Hawthorn Hawks are an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). They play in brown and gold vertically striped guernseys. Their mascot is a hawk.

The Hawks origins are in the inner eastern Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn and Glenferrie Oval. Glenferrie Oval has traditionally been the club's administrative and training base and social club in Linda Crescent in Hawthorn. Matches have not been played there since 1973, when home matches were moved to Princes Park. In 2006, they moved their administration from Glenferrie to Waverley Park - in Melbourne's Outer East, and will play 4 games a year in their second home of Tasmania from 2007. The remaining 7 home games will continue to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

[edit] Club History

[edit] Early years

The origins of the Hawthorn Football club are obscure and subject to much debate. Very few records were kept and the early history was subject to interpretation and embellishment.

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^{[citation needed]}. Although a Hawthorn Football Club did indeed form at this time and the region has since continuously been represented by a football team, it is likely that it is unrelated to the Hawthorn which competes at AFL level today. It is more likely that today's club is actually the third club to carry the name "Hawthorn Football Club". The Daily Telegraph Saturday May 12 1883:- "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 ^[1]. This club also ceased in 1890. No Hawthorn club existed in 1890 - 92.

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

In April 1902, Alf Kosky formed a club from the various district club 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 VFA.

[edit] Entry to the VFA

The club was relatively late in joining the Victorian Football League (VFL), the predecessor of the AFL. It did so in 1925 as the "Hawthorn Football Club", at the same time as Footscray and North Melbourne, all three coming from the Victorian Football Association (VFA).

The Mayblooms, as they were known then became the perennial whipping boys of the competition.

[edit] 1950s and 60s

The club's nickname changed from the Mayblooms or Mayflowers to Hawks in 1950 and coincided with a turnaround in onfield performances.

Hawthorn broke through to their first finals appearance in 1957, and in 1961 they went one better, winning their first premiership by defeating Footscray. This was the first of three flags for coach John Kennedy, a Hawthorn legend.

[edit] 1970s

Statue of former Hawthorn player, Leigh Matthews at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

In the 1970s Hawthorn had more success winning three flags. During the 1970s a strong rivalry grew with North Melbourne and they met in three grand finals with the Hawks prevailing twice.

The 1971 Grand Final was between Hawthorn Hawks (coached by Hawthorn legend John Kennedy Snr & St Kilda coached by Allan Jeans who would later move to Hawthorn and enjoy success as the Hawks coach in the 1980's. The match was played before 118,192 people at the MCG on a fine and sunny Melbourne day. Hawthorn went into the match without inspirational centre half back Peter Knights who had suffered a severe knee injury two weeks earlier. A hard tough game, the Saints led 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 was to comment "The season was just 25 minutes too long" as '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 (now sadly replaced by advertising signs)) came into force. The Hawks moved Peter Hudson out to centre half forward and Bob Keddie 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.

The 1976 Grand Final was inspired by the illness of former vice-captain Peter Crimmins who died a week after the victory from cancer, and by the humilating defeat of the 1975 Grand Final loss to the North Melbourne Kangaroos. The Hawks greats such as the prolific goal-kicker Peter Hudson, rover Leigh Matthews, back pocket & future coach David Parkin, ruckman Don Scott, full back Kelvin Moore and centre half-back Peter Knights played through this era. The Hawks were in control for most of the day, with John Hendrie being voted best on ground.

[edit] 1980s

Hawthorn 1980's shield logo

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. The first of four Grand Final wins for the decade was in 1983, with Hawthorn (20.20) defeating Essendon (8.9). 1983 would mark Hawthorn being in the finals for 13 years in a row. Their second premiership would come three years later in the 1986 Grand Final, which saw Hawthorn (16.14) defeat Carlton (9.14). The decade closed on a high-note for the Hawks, who would win back to back premierships first in 1988 (22.20) against Melbourne (6.20), and again a year later in 1989, (21.18) against Geelong (21.12). Their fast-paced style of play was copied by the West Coast Eagles who became the powerful club of the early 1990s^{[citation needed]}. Other clubs have had success since but none have matched the dominance of the Hawks in this period. Leading players of the 1980s included Dermott Brereton, Gary Ayres, Michael Tuck, Jason Dunstall, Gary Buckenara, John Platten and Chris Langford.

The 1989 Grand Final victory over Geelong is widely regarded as one of the greatest and toughest Grand Finals in the history of the competition^[2].

[edit] 1990s

In 1992 they moved their home games to Waverley Park in Mulgrave in Melbourne's south-east after previously sharing Princes Park with Carlton. 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 Hawks won their most recent grand final in 1991 as well. Grand Final day 1991 was an historic occasion. It was the only Grand Final played at Waverley Park and featured the first ever appearance by a non-Victorian team on the big day. 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 ever Final played outside Victoria. West Coast began the re-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, apart from inaccuracy in the second term, 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 to 1.3 to win a fifth Flag in nine seasons. Michael Tuck, Chris Mew, Gary Ayres and Dermott Brereton had played in all five. 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 prove 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).

[edit] 2000

"Peter Schwab Era"

Peter Schwab was made coach of the Hawks. The Hawks reached the semi-final before losing to the eventual premiers the Essendon Bombers. Made steady progress all over the field. Daniel Chick and Nick Holland were the joint winners of the Best and Fairest.

[edit] 2001

The Hawks enjoyed a successful year, their last for several to come. The Hawks won 8 games straight at the start of the season, and were finally knocked out in the preliminary final by Essendon. In the off-season, Hawthorn traded Trent Croad and no.20 Daniel Elstone for the no.1 Draft Pick Luke Hodge, and no.36 Sam Mitchell. In retrospect, the Hawks are seen to have won this trade. Trent Croad would, ironically, return to Hawthorn two years later via a trade of pick 10 Riley Dunn, citing home sickness as a reason for his departure.

[edit] 2002

Coach Peter Schwab declared team would win the premiership in the pre-season, only for the Hawks to miss the finals altogether. The Hawks finished 10th, which was considered to be a very dissapointing result for the club. Shane Crawford won the Best and Fairest after another stellar season.

In the off-season, the Hawks again proved to be big players, and snared the services of super-star ruck man Peter Everitt.

[edit] 2003

After a poor start to the 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 shone for the Hawks and won the Rising Star Award. Had punters excited and were early favourites for a top 4 finish the next year.

Shane Crawford once again won the Best and Fairest, with 'Crawf' also coming second in the Brownlow medal, by a single vote.

[edit] 2004

"Collapse"

A horrific season for Hawthorn when the Hawks managed just 4 wins and 18 losses. The club imploded, and by mid-season coach Peter Schwab was sacked, and Captain Shane Crawford 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 left the club sighting a fresh start following his admission he suffered from depression. Raydon Tallis, Mark Graham, Kris Barlow and Lance Picione were also released from the club. More than 700 games of experience left the club following the season.

Alastair Clarkson was appointed coach before the conclusion of the season and promptly delisted many underperforming players, and promised a youth-policy to rebuild the club. The Hawks took Jarryd Roughead, Lance Franklin, Jordan Lewis at picks 2, 5 and 7 respectively in the AFL Draft. In the pre-season AFL Draft, former Hawk Trent Croad who had played for the Fremantle Dockers for 2 years returned to his original side.

[edit] 2005

"The Clarkson Era"

With Alastair Clarkson at the helm, the Hawks made solid progress, and instituted a culture of discipline at the club. Despite winning only 5 games (finishing in 14th position), and playing a widely criticised high-possession gameplan, it was deemed a somewhat successful season. Lance Franklin, Jarryd Roughead and Jordan Lewis all won Rising Star Nominations. Shane Crawford also had a return to form after a terrible 2004 when he broke his arm, and finished 3rd in the Peter Crimmins Medal.

The success story of the year was former No.1 Draft Pick Luke Hodge, who became a super-star off half back, winning the Peter Crimmins Medal, All-Australian jumper and coming equal 4th in the Brownlow Medal, collecting 15 votes. Peter Everitt and Trent Croad were also named in the All-Australian team.

The Hawks were again busy in the off-season, trading players for draft picks. The Hawks ended Trade Week with 5 top 20 draft picks, further reinforcing their youth-policy.

[edit] 2006

After a flyer start, being 4-1 Win/Loss ratio after the first 5 rounds, the Hawks faltered and fell to a 6 game losing streak before breaking the drought against Richmond in round 12, when Lance Franklin booted 6 goals. A further 6 game losing streak ensued, before another 6 goal burst from "Buddy" in round 19 against Carlton was the spark to a final 4 game winning streak, which helped the Hawks leap frog Port Adelaide, the Kangaroos, and Brisbane to finish the year in 11th place.

Despite finishing the 2006 season in 11th place, the Hawks have supporters excited and have a lot of talent to work with in the years to come. Their run-with-the-ball game style has been praised, and as a result Coach Alastair Clarkson was rewarded with a new 2 year contract after the mid-season break.

The Hawks also ended their relationship with Glenferrie Oval, and moved to Waverley Park in the early stages of 2006.

At the end of the 2006 season, the Hawks increased their commitment to Tasmanian market - where they have developed a large support base - with 4 games to be played at Aurora Stadium in Launceston, involoving the Tasmanian government becoming an official sponsor of the club - in one of the biggest sponsorship deals in Austalian sporting history^[3] worth $15-20 million dollars; simply put it puts Hawthorn in the top bracket of clubs financially in the league. Touted as part of the deal, a 'Spirit of Tasmania' ship will be decked out in the famous 'brown and gold' colours ^[4] specifically for the Hawthorn faithful making the trip between Melbourne and Tasmania for the 4 games.

The remaining 7 home games and 4 away games will be played at the MCG, giving the club 11 'home' games at the clubs home ground in total.

[edit] 2007

"On the verge of something great?"

Having finished the 2006 season with a flurry of wins and promise of better days to come, the young Hawks are set to enter the 2007 season with plenty of expectation and hype. Improving 4 wins on the previous season - with the absence of 3 of its top 5 draft prospects from the previous season, Hawthorn will look to further improve on its 2006 base with plenty of youth and overall improvement still to come into the team. In the eyes of many, Hawthorn is set to build its best chance of snaring another flag over the neext few years for its long suffering faithful since its last flag in 1991 ^[5]

Whether these bold predictions come to fruition or not over the next 5 years, its definately an exciting time to be a Hawthorn supporter.

[edit] Current Issues & Merger debate

Main Article: Melbourne Hawks

Falling on-field and off-field fortune saw the club almost merge with Melbourne in 1996. The resulting club was to be known as the "Melbourne Hawks" - a fusion with the Melbourne nickname of "Demons". A groundswell of support led by former champion Don Scott scuttled the proposal however 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 by a team led by businessman Ian Dicker.

The closure of Waverley Park 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. 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 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 clubs spiritual home.

In August 2005, former Victorian State Premier Jeff Kennett, 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. His rise to presidency was confirmed when on December 14 2005, he was ushered in as president of the Hawthorn Football Club unopposed to the audience of a packed Hawthorn Town Hall.

[edit] Corporate

[edit] Membership base and Home crowds

Below is a table containing club membership numbers from 1996.

Year	Members	Crowds	(Finishing position)
1996	12,300	23,624	(8th)
1997	27,450	32,380	(15th)
1998	27,649	32,173	(13th)
1999	32,120	34,828	(9th)
2000	27,879	34,939	(6th)
2001	30,140	37,594	(4th)
2002	33,319	38,216	(10th)
2003	31,500	31,816	(9th)
2004	31,255	26,678	(15th)
2005	29,261	36,274	(14th)
2006	28,003¹	34,071	(11th)

¹ (as at 30 June, 2006) ^[6] ²following finals matches

Membership target - 35,000

[edit] Presidents

Jeff Kennett (2006-)
Ian Dicker (1997-2005)
Brian Coleman (1996)
Geoff Lord (1994-1995)
Trevor Coote (1988-1993)
Ron Cook (1980-1987)
Phil Ryan (1968-1979)
Dr A S Ferguson (1953-67)
D A Prentice (1950-52)
Dr J Jona J.P (1932-1949)
J W Kennon (1925-31)

[edit] Premierships

Hawthorn have won 9 Premierships

1961 - Hawthorn 13.16 (94) def. Footscray 7.9 (51)
1971 - Hawthorn 12.10 (82) def. St. Kilda 11.9 (75)
1976 - Hawthorn 13.22 (100)def. North Melbourne 10.10 (70)
1978 - Hawthorn 18.13 (121) def. North Melbourne 15.13 (103)
1983 - Hawthorn 20.20 (140) def. Essendon 8.9 (57)
1986 - Hawthorn 16.14 (110) def. Carlton 9.14 (68)
1988 - Hawthorn 22.20 (152) def. Melbourne 6.20 (56)
1989 - Hawthorn 21.18 (144) def. Geelong 21.12 (138)
1991 - Hawthorn 20.19 (139) def. West Coast Eagles 13.8 (86)

[edit] Pre-Season Premierships

Hawthorn have won 9 'Night series' Premierships (league record)

1967 - Hawthorn 16.15 (111) def. North Melbourne 6.14 (50)
1968 - Hawthorn 10.17 (77) def. Melbourne 9.18 (72)
1977 - Hawthorn 14.11 (95) def. Carlton 11.5 (71)
1985 - Hawthorn 11.11 (77) def. Essendon 10.8 (68)
1986 - Hawthorn 9.12 (68) def. Carlton 5.6 (36)
1988 - Hawthorn 10.10 (70) def. Geelong 9.13 (63)
1991 - Hawthorn 14.19 (103) def. North Melbourne 7.12 (54)
1992 - Hawthorn 19.14 (128) def. Fitzroy 8.15 (63)
1999 - Hawthorn 12.11 (83) def. Port Adelaide 5.6 (36)

[edit] Individual awards

[edit] Best and Fairest

See Peter Crimmins Medal

[edit] Brownlow Medal winners

[edit] Leigh Matthews Trophy winners

Note: Before 2002, this was the VFL/AFL Players Association Most Valuable Player award. In 2005, all winners of this honour prior to 2002 were retrospectively awarded the Leigh Matthews Trophy.