# 1961 Hawthorn Football Club season

The 1961 season was the Hawthorn Football Club's 37th season in the Victorian Football League and 60th overall. The season was a historic one for Hawthorn finishing top of the ladder and claiming the McClelland Trophy for the first time in their history, reaching the Grand Final for the first time in their history, and winning the Premiership for the first time in their history.

## Fixture
### Premiership Season

| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Attendance | Record |
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Home | Away | Result | Venue | Attendance | Record |
| 1 | Saturday, 15 April (2:20 pm) | South Melbourne | 7.14 (56) | 11.15 (81) | Lost by 25 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 20,000 | 0–1 |
| 2 | Saturday, 22 April (2:20 pm) | Melbourne | 5.14 (44) | 11.10 (76) | Won by 32 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | 34,640 | 1–1 |
| 3 | Saturday, 29 April (2:20 pm) | Fitzroy | 13.17 (95) | 10.9 (69) | Won by 26 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 21,500 | 2–1 |
| 4 | Saturday, 6 May (2:20 pm) | North Melbourne | 8.7 (55) | 12.13 (85) | Won by 30 points | Arden Street Oval (A) | 13,500 | 3–1 |
| 5 | Saturday, 13 May (2:20 pm) | Essendon | 9.21 (75) | 12.4 (76) | Lost by 1 point | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 31,000 | 3–2 |
| 6 | Saturday, 21 May (2:20 pm) | St Kilda | 14.16 (100) | 12.9 (81) | Lost by 19 points | Junction Oval (A) | 32,900 | 3–3 |
| 7 | Saturday, 3 June (2:20 pm) | Richmond | 10.13 (73) | 8.12 (60) | Won by 13 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 15,000 | 4–3 |
| 8 | Monday, 12 June (2:20 pm) | Footscray | 14.19 (103) | 13.13 (91) | Lost by 12 points | Western Oval (A) | 24,132 | 4–4 |
| 9 | Saturday, 17 June (2:20 pm) | Geelong | 9.7 (61) | 10.10 (70) | Won by 9 points | Kardinia Park (A) | 14,197 | 5–4 |
| 10 | Saturday, 24 June (2:20 pm) | Carlton | 12.6 (78) | 6.10 (46) | Won by 32 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 21,500 | 6–4 |
| 11 | Saturday, 1 July (2:20 pm) | Collingwood | 13.12 (90) | 4.12 (36) | Won by 54 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 31,500 | 7–4 |
| 12 | Saturday, 8 July (2:20 pm) | South Melbourne | 7.7 (49) | 9.11 (65) | Won by 16 points | Lake Oval (A) | 13,860 | 8–4 |
| 13 | Saturday, 15 July (2:20 pm) | Melbourne | 8.10 (58) | 5.10 (40) | Won by 18 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 27,500 | 9–4 |
| 14 | Saturday, 29 July (2:20 pm) | Fitzroy | 12.15 (87) | 13.16 (94) | Won by 7 points | Brunswick Street Oval (A) | 23,012 | 10–4 |
| 15 | Saturday, 5 August (2:20 pm) | North Melbourne | 15.10 (100) | 6.11 (47) | Won by 53 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 14,000 | 11–4 |
| 16 | Saturday, 12 August (2:45 pm) | Essendon | 10.12 (72) | 11.13 (79) | Won by 7 points | Windy Hill (A) | 27,200 | 12–4 |
| 17 | Saturday, 19 August (2:20 pm) | St Kilda | 19.6 (120) | 14.7 (91) | Won by 29 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 34,500 | 13–4 |
| 18 | Saturday, 26 August (2:20 pm) | Richmond | 8.8 (56) | 11.15 (81) | Won by 25 points | Punt Road Oval (A) | 15,177 | 14–4 |

### Finals Series

| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Attendance |
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Home | Away | Result | Venue | Attendance |
| Second Semi-Final | Saturday, 9 September (2:30 pm) | Melbourne | 12.8 (80) | 11.7 (73) | Won by 7 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 87,744 |
| Grand Final | Saturday, 23 September (2:50 pm) | Footscray | 13.16 (94) | 7.9 (51) | Won by 43 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 107,935 |

## Ladder

| (P) | Premiers |
| | Qualified for finals |
| # | Team | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | % | Pts |
| 1 | Hawthorn (P) | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1467 | 1173 | 125.1 | 56 |
| 2 | Melbourne | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1510 | 1151 | 131.2 | 50 |
| 3 | St Kilda | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1373 | 1173 | 117.1 | 44 |
| 4 | Footscray | 18 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1334 | 1216 | 109.7 | 44 |
| 5 | Fitzroy | 18 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1469 | 1258 | 116.8 | 42 |
| 6 | Geelong | 18 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1367 | 1362 | 100.4 | 42 |
| 7 | Essendon | 18 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 1462 | 1335 | 109.5 | 38 |
| 8 | Carlton | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1279 | 1325 | 96.5 | 36 |
| 9 | Collingwood | 18 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 1166 | 1375 | 84.8 | 22 |
| 10 | Richmond | 18 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1126 | 1428 | 78.9 | 20 |
| 11 | South Melbourne | 18 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1187 | 1644 | 72.2 | 20 |
| 12 | North Melbourne | 18 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 1133 | 1433 | 79.1 | 18 |
Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for Average score: 73.5 Source: AFL Tables