Although they are the youngest AFL club based in Victoria, the Hawthorn Hawks have been the most successful side in the competition these past fifty years, winning ten Premierships since their inception in 1902. Their most recent Flag came in 2008 when Hawthorn defeated the highly fancied Cats.
See the 2010 Hawthorn Hawks fixtures.
In part two of my series, I look at who will make the top eight and declare who I think will win the 2010 AFL Premiership.
1. Geelong
Despite the loss of Harley and the drama of Stokes, Geelong remains formidable and still is the best side. Ablett, Bartel and Selwood will again dominate. While [...] Read article
Melbourne veteran Cameron Bruce is confident of a strong performance in the AFL season-opener against Hawthorn, despite the Demons’ shocking injury run.
Melbourne’s pre-season injury woes continued during the practice match on Saturday against West Coast when midfielder Colin Sylvia suffered a broken jaw which will sideline him for four-to-six weeks.
Livewire forward Austin Wonaeamirri also suffered [...] Read article
Yesterday’s news that the Western Bulldogs will be seeking two home games at Basin Reserve in the New Zealand city of Wellington, possibly as early as next year, is a positive for the game.
I touched on the topic of teams expanding beyond their existing support bases earlier in the week, and this is a great [...] Read article
Hawthorn have recalled former Western Bulldogs fringe player Wayde Skipper for their final AFL practice match as they seek to solve their ruck woes.
Skipper, who will have to be elevated from the rookie list if he is to play in the home and away season, is part of the Hawks’ 26-man squad to play a [...] Read article
The Brisbane Lions’ decision to remove the Fitzroy lion from its home and away jumpers – and replace it with the much-criticized “Paddle Pop lion” – is remarkable considering just how desperate some clubs are to have a secondary supporter base in another part of the country.
Hawthorn’s relationship with Tasmania has seen a number of [...] Read article
Hawthorn’s No.1 ruckman Simon Taylor is out of action for four months after breaking his leg in the AFL practice match loss to North Melbourne.
It was a costly trip to Ballarat on Saturday for the Hawks – top midfielder Brad Sewell also suffered a broken collarbone.
Likewise, Melbourne are set to be without Daniel Bell and [...] Read article
As we draw closer to kick-off in season 2010, anticipation is, naturally, high for the upcoming season. At this time of the year, there are more questions than answers.
These include:
Can Hawthorn re-discover the form that won it the 2008 premiership?
We all know the Hawks had a wretched run with injuries last season, but it goes [...] Read article
Gun Hawthorn recruit Shaun Burgoyne is in doubt for his club’s AFL season opener against Melbourne on March 27 because of a hamstring injury.
The former Port Adelaide midfielder has suffered a low grade tear to his hamstring and is no certainty to be ready in time for the clash with the Demons at the MCG.
“Burgoyne, [...] Read article
Carlton coach Brett Ratten has warned his team to brace for an ultra-aggressive Richmond when the two clubs clash in Thursday night’s AFL season-opener at the MCG.
Ratten said new Tigers coach Damien Hardwick’s combativeness had been his hallmark as a player and that would be mirrored in his team.
“They’ll be coming out swinging, I know [...]
Adam McPhee has set his sights on a leadership role at Fremantle and has urged Dockers fans not to read anything into his poor form during the AFL pre-season.
McPhee returned to Fremantle at the end of last year after seven seasons at Essendon, where he won the club’s best and fairest award and All-Australian honours [...]
For the first time in three seasons, no AFL player earnt more than $1 million last year. The $1 million barrier was first cracked in 2007, with two players earning seven-digit sums in 2008, but AFL figures show no player’s income reached those heights in 2009.
But the salary divide between an elite few and the [...]
The AFL wants television networks to show matches live when the next broadcast rights deal is brokered for the 2012 season and beyond.
The next five-year agreement is expected to be worth more than $1 billion and AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said the league would also seek a commitment to screen games live.
Currently, the four [...]
With a number of second-year players, including Nick Naitanui, retaining their eligibility, the race for this year’s Rising Star award is already looking like it will be the one of the most hotly-contested since the award began.
Contesting the award alongside the second-year players will be a number of 2009 draftees that look set to make [...]
A Malaysian billionaire is apparently in the mix to bid as a partner for the next round of the AFL TV rights for 2012-2016.
As reported in this article in The Age:
“T. Ananda Krishnan, who has extensive satellite television interests in Asia through his Astro network Fetch, has put the idea of a joint bid for [...]
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has warned that the league will not take a back step to soccer if Australia hosts the World Cup.
In a speech at Thursday night’s official season launch, Demetriou has made it clear that the AFL will not let soccer dictate terms if the bid to host the cup is successful.
Earlier [...]
Geelong’s aura is fading, with rival captains rating St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs as more likely AFL grand finalists than the reigning premiers.
The Cats have won two of the past three flags, with a grand final loss in between.
But in the league’s annual pre-season poll, they received only three of a possible 15 votes [...]
The Western Bulldogs will head into their 2010 campaign expected to be in contention for their first premiership in 56 years.
Rightly or wrongly, there has been much hype surrounding the Western Bulldogs. For the first time, the club will find themselves in an unfamiliar position.
Unlike previous years, they aren’t the underdog.
A lot of the [...]
Michael Tuck medallist Barry Hall couldn’t have started life at the Western Bulldogs any better, prompting many pundits to believe the Dogs have solved their ‘power forward’ problem and are now 2010 Premiership favourites. But some maintain it’s a matter of time before ‘Big Bad Barry’ has another brain-snap.
The 33-year-old, who controversially ended his time [...]
