# 2016 Hawthorn Football Club season

The 2016 season was the Hawthorn Football Club's 92nd season in the Australian Football League and 115th overall, the 17th season playing home games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the 16th season playing home games at Aurora Stadium, the 12th season under head coach Alastair Clarkson, and the 6th season with Luke Hodge as club captain. Hawthorn entered the season as the three-time defending AFL premiers, having won back-to-back-to-back AFL premierships.
Hawthorn improved on its 16–6 record in 2015, finishing in 3rd with a 17–5 record. The 19 point win over Carlton in round 19 clinched a finals series appearance for the 7th consecutive season. The 1 point win over Collingwood in round 23 clinched a double chance for the 6th consecutive season.
Hawthorn were defeated by Geelong 83–85 in the qualifying final. Isaac Smith had the chance to win the game with a goal after the siren but hooked the kick right of the goal. This ended a three-game finals winning streak. It was also the second consecutive season Hawthorn were defeated in the Qualifying final. Hawthorn were eliminated from the finals by the eventual premiers Western Bulldogs 84–107 in the semi-final, ending their chances of a four-peat, the second four-peat in VFL/AFL history after Collingwood (1927–1930), and the first four-peat in the AFL era. Hawthorn became the 6th team since the introduction of the AFL final eight system to be eliminated in straight-sets, joining Port Adelaide (2001), West Coast (2007), Geelong and Fremantle (2014), and Sydney (2015). This was the first time since 2010 Hawthorn didn't win a final, the first time since 2010 Hawthorn didn't advance to the preliminary final, and the first time since 2011 Hawthorn didn't advance to the AFL Grand Final.

## Club summary

The 2016 AFL season is the 120th season of the VFL/AFL competition since its inception in 1897; having entered the competition in 1925, it was the 92nd season contested by the Hawthorn Football Club. Tasmania and iiNet continued as the club's two major sponsors, as they had done since 2006 and 2013 respectively, while Adidas continued to manufacture the club's on-and-off field apparel, as they had done since 2013. Hawthorn continued its alignment with the Box Hill Hawks Football Club in the Victorian Football League, allowing Hawthorn-listed players to play with the Box Hill Hawks when not selected in AFL matches.

## Senior personnel

Alastair Clarkson continued as the club's head coach for the twelfth consecutive season, while Luke Hodge continued as the club's captain for the sixth consecutive season. Both have held their respective positions since 2005 and 2011, respectively.
There were several changes to the coaching panel following the end of last season, the most notable of which was Brendon Bolton's departure from the club towards the end of the season to become the head coach of the Carlton Football Club. On 20 October 2015, recent Richmond retiree Chris Newman joined the club as a development coach, replacing Damian Carroll who was promoted to assistant coach alongside Alastair Clarkson.
On 2 February 2016, Andrew Newbold stepped down as the club's president, and was replaced in the role by vice-captain Richard Garvey.

## Playing list changes

The following lists all player changes between the conclusion of the 2015 season and the beginning of the 2016 season.

### Trades

| 16 October 2015 | To HawthornPick 15, 2015 AFL draft Pick 55, 2015 AFL draft | To North MelbourneJed Anderson Pick 38, 2015 AFL draft Pick 40, 2015 AFL draft |
| 21 October 2015 | To HawthornJack Fitzpatrick | To MelbournePick 94, 2015 AFL draft |
| 22 October 2015 | To HawthornPick 48, 2015 AFL draft | To Greater Western SydneyPick 55, 2015 AFL draft Pick 58, 2015 AFL draft |

### Free Agency
#### Departures

| Date | Player | Type | 2016 team | Deal | Compensation | Ref |
| 10 October 2015 | Matt Suckling | UFA | Western Bulldogs | Signed 3-year deal | End of 2nd round pick, 2015 AFL draft | |

### Draft
#### AFL draft

| Round | Overall pick | Player | Recruited from |
| 1 | 19 | Ryan Burton | North Adelaide |
| 1 | 22 | Kieran Lovell | Tigers FC |
| 3 | 44 | Blake Hardwick | Eastern Ranges |

#### Rookie draft

| Round | Overall pick | Player | Recruited from |
| 1 | 18 | Luke Surman | Norwood |
| 2 | 36 | Kade Stewart | South Fremantle |
| 3 | 52 | Alex Woodward | Hawthorn |
| 4 | 62 | Conor Glass | Derry GAA |
* ↑ Woodward was originally delisted by Hawthorn on 8 October 2015 but was re-drafted as a rookie

### Retirements and delistings

| Date | Player | 2016 team | Reason |
| 6 October 2015 | Brian Lake | N/A | Retired |
| 6 October 2015 | David Hale | N/A | Retired |
| 8 October 2015 | Sam Grimley | Essendon | Delisted |
| 8 October 2015 | Jared Hardisty | N/A | Delisted |
| 8 October 2015 | Jonathan Simpkin | Essendon | Delisted |

## Season summary
### Pre-season matches

The club played three practice matches as part of the 2016 NAB Challenge, and will be played under modified pre-season rules, including nine-point goals. They finished the NAB Challenge with a record of 2–1, defeating Carlton and North Melbourne on either side of a heavy loss to Richmond.
| 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 |
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Home | Away | Result | Venue |
| 1 | Thursday, 18 February (7:10 pm) | Carlton | 0.8.5 (53) | 0.4.8 (32) | Won by 21 points | Aurora Stadium (H) |
| 2 | Saturday, 27 February (4:40 pm) | Richmond | 1.15.5 (104) | 0.4.9 (33) | Lost by 71 points | Holm Park Recreation Reserve (A) |
| 3 | Saturday, 12 March (7:10 pm) | North Melbourne | 2.16.11 (125) | 0.12.8 (80) | Won by 45 points | Etihad Stadium (H) |
| Source |||||||

### Premiership season
#### Fixture summary

The full fixture was announced on 29 October 2015. The Melbourne Cricket Ground once again acted as Hawthorn's primary home ground, hosting seven of the club's eleven home games, while four games were played at their secondary home ground, Aurora Stadium, in Launceston. The club's four games at Aurora Stadium were against St Kilda, Fremantle, Gold Coast and Carlton in rounds 4, 8, 14 and 19 respectively, while the club played the West Coast Eagles, North Melbourne, Sydney, Richmond and Melbourne twice during the regular season.
For the second consecutive year, and the third in the past four years, the club opened its season with an Easter Monday clash against Geelong at the Melbourne Cricket Ground; it was also the first time since 2011 in which it started a season with an away match, and, due to the weighted rule, it was the only time the two teams met during the regular season. Its first home game came the following round, when they faced the West Coast Eagles at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the 2015 AFL Grand Final rematch. Their match against Greater Western Sydney, scheduled for Round 6, was once again played at Spotless Stadium in Sydney, while the club travelled to the Gabba for the first time since 2008 to take on the Brisbane Lions in the AFL's Indigenous Round. In addition, the club also played consecutive Thursday night away matches against Port Adelaide and Sydney in Rounds 16 and 17 respectively, and played six Friday night matches throughout the regular season, the equal most of any club.

#### Fixture

| 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 | Record | Report |
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Home | Away | Result | Venue | Record | Report |
| 1 | Monday, 28 March (3:20 pm) | Geelong | 18.8 (116) | 12.14 (86) | Lost by 30 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | 0–1 | Report |
| 2 | Sunday, 3 April (3:20 pm) | West Coast | 14.15 (99) | 7.11 (53) | Won by 46 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 1–1 | Report |
| 3 | Sunday, 10 April (3:20 pm) | Western Bulldogs | 13.12 (90) | 14.9 (93) | Won by 3 points | Etihad Stadium (A) | 2–1 | Report |
| 4 | Saturday, 16 April (2:10 pm) | St Kilda | 13.9 (87) | 13.6 (84) | Won by 3 points | Aurora Stadium (H) | 3–1 | Report |
| 5 | Friday, 22 April (7:50 pm) | Adelaide | 17.10 (112) | 17.7 (109) | Won by 3 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 4–1 | Report |
| 6 | Saturday, 30 April (4:35 pm) | Greater Western Sydney | 24.14 (158) | 12.11 (83) | Lost by 75 points | Spotless Stadium (A) | 4–2 | Report |
| 7 | Friday, 6 May (7:50 pm) | Richmond | 13.12 (90) | 21.10 (136) | Won by 46 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | 5–2 | Report |
| 8 | Saturday, 14 May (2:10 pm) | Fremantle | 17.14 (116) | 11.9 (75) | Won by 41 points | Aurora Stadium (H) | 6–2 | Report |
| 9 | Friday, 20 May (7:50 pm) | Sydney | 7.13 (55) | 10.9 (69) | Lost by 14 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 6–3 | Report |
| 10 | Saturday, May 28 (1:45 pm) | Brisbane Lions | 13.9 (87) | 21.9 (135) | Won by 48 points | The Gabba (A) | 7–3 | Report |
| 11 | Saturday, 4 June (1:45 pm) | Melbourne | 11.16 (82) | 10.4 (64) | Won by 18 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 8–3 | Report |
| 12 | Friday, 10 June (7:50 pm) | Essendon | 6.7 (43) | 23.13 (151) | Won by 108 points | Etihad Stadium (A) | 9–3 | Report |
| 13 | Friday, 17 June (7:50 pm) | North Melbourne | 11.18 (84) | 14.9 (93) | Won by 9 points | Etihad Stadium (A) | 10–3 | Report |
| 14 | Sunday, 26 June (3:20 pm) | Gold Coast | 12.14 (86) | 8.12 (60) | Won by 26 points | Aurora Stadium (H) | 11–3 | Report |
| 15 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 16 | Thursday, 7 July (7:20 pm) | Port Adelaide | 12.7 (79) | 15.11 (101) | Won by 22 points | Adelaide Oval (A) | 12–3 | Report |
| 17 | Thursday, 14 July (7:20 pm) | Sydney | 10.10 (70) | 11.9 (75) | Won by 5 points | Sydney Cricket Ground (A) | 13–3 | Report |
| 18 | Sunday, 24 July (3:20 pm) | Richmond | 16.18 (114) | 5.14 (44) | Won by 70 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 14–3 | Report |
| 19 | Saturday, 30 July (2:10 pm) | Carlton | 10.14 (74) | 7.13 (55) | Won by 19 points | Aurora Stadium (H) | 15–3 | Report |
| 20 | Saturday, 6 August (2:10 pm) | Melbourne | 17.8 (110) | 11.15 (81) | Lost by 29 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | 15–4 | Report |
| 21 | Saturday, 13 August (2:10 pm) | North Melbourne | 14.12 (96) | 8.9 (57) | Won by 39 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 16–4 | Report |
| 22 | Friday, 19 August (6:10 pm) | West Coast | 13.14 (92) | 10.7 (67) | Lost by 25 points | Domain Stadium (A) | 16–5 | Report |
| 23 | Sunday, 28 August (3:20 pm) | Collingwood | 17.10 (112) | 17.9 (111) | Won by 1 point | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 17–5 | Report |
| Source |||||||||

#### Ladder

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Sydney | 22 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 2221 | 1469 | 151.2 | 68 | 2016 finals |
| 2 | Geelong | 22 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 2235 | 1554 | 143.8 | 68 | 2016 finals |
| 3 | Hawthorn | 22 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 2134 | 1800 | 118.6 | 68 | 2016 finals |
| 4 | Greater Western Sydney | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2380 | 1663 | 143.1 | 64 | 2016 finals |
| 5 | Adelaide | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2483 | 1795 | 138.3 | 64 | 2016 finals |
| 6 | West Coast | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2181 | 1678 | 130.0 | 64 | 2016 finals |
| 7 | Western Bulldogs (P) | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 1857 | 1609 | 115.4 | 60 | 2016 finals |
| 8 | North Melbourne | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 1956 | 1859 | 105.2 | 48 | 2016 finals |
| 9 | St Kilda | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 1953 | 2041 | 95.7 | 48 | |
| 10 | Port Adelaide | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2055 | 1939 | 106.0 | 40 | |
| 11 | Melbourne | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 1944 | 1991 | 97.6 | 40 | |
| 12 | Collingwood | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 1910 | 1998 | 95.6 | 36 | |
| 13 | Richmond | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1713 | 2155 | 79.5 | 32 | |
| 14 | Carlton | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1568 | 1978 | 79.3 | 28 | |
| 15 | Gold Coast | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 1778 | 2273 | 78.2 | 24 | |
| 16 | Fremantle | 22 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 1574 | 2119 | 74.3 | 16 | |
| 17 | Brisbane Lions | 22 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 1770 | 2872 | 61.6 | 12 | |
| 18 | Essendon | 22 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 1437 | 2356 | 61.0 | 12 | |

#### Finals

| 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 | Recap |
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Home | Away | Result | Venue | Recap |
| Qualifying final | Friday, 9 September (7:50 pm) | Geelong | 12.13 (85) | 12.11 (83) | Lost by 2 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | Recap |
| Semi-final | Friday, 16 September (7:50 pm) | Western Bulldogs | 12.12 (84) | 16.11 (107) | Lost by 23 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | Recap |

## Awards, records and milestones
### Awards

* Peter Crimmins Medal
** Sam Mitchell
* 2016 All-Australian team
** Cyril Rioli
* Round 13
** James Sicily – 2016 AFL Rising Star nominee

### Records

* Round 11:
** Hawthorn made 109 tackles in its win over Melbourne, which is the highest number of tackles it has ever recorded in an AFL premiership match.
* Round 20:
** Hawthorn's 29-point loss to Melbourne ended a 13-game winning streak against that club dating back to Round 2, 2007.

### Milestones

* Round 1:
** Marc Pittonet – AFL debut
** Paul Puopolo – 100th AFL goal
* Round 2:
** Josh Gibson – 1st AFL goal for Hawthorn
* Round 4:
** Sam Mitchell – most possessions in a single match in his career (44)
* Round 5:
** Shaun Burgoyne – 300th AFL game
* Round 6:
** Kieran Lovell – AFL debut
** Daniel Howe – first AFL goal
* Round 7:
** Kaiden Brand – AFL debut
* Round 10:
** Jordan Lewis – 250th AFL game
* Round 11:
** Josh Gibson – 200th AFL game
** Kade Stewart – AFL debut
* Round 12:
** Shaun Burgoyne – 150th club game for Hawthorn
** Luke Breust – 250th AFL goal
** Jack Gunston – 250th AFL goal
* Round 16:
** Cyril Rioli – 250th AFL goal
* Round 17:
** Shaun Burgoyne – 250th AFL goal
* Round 18:
** Sam Mitchell – 300th AFL game
* Round 19:
** Blake Hardwick – AFL debut
* Round 20:
** Kurt Heatherley – AFL debut
* Round 21:
** Ryan Burton – AFL debut
* Round 22:
** Jonathon Ceglar – 50th AFL game
* Round 23:
** Jack Fitzpatrick – first AFL game for Hawthorn (previously with Melbourne)
* Qualifying Final
** Ryan Schoenmakers – 100th AFL game

## Brownlow Medal
### Results

| Round | 1 vote | 2 votes | 3 votes |
| 1 | Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) | Joel Selwood (Geelong) | Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong) |
| 2 | Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn) | Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) | Josh Gibson (Hawthorn) |
| 3 | Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) | Marcus Adams (Western Bulldogs) | Luke Dahlhaus (Western Bulldogs) |
| 4 | Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda | David Armitage (St Kilda) | Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) |
| 5 | Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn) | Scott Thompson (Adelaide) | Paul Puopolo (Hawthorn) |
| 6 | Steve Johnson (Greater Western Sydney) | Callan Ward (Greater Western Sydney) | Rory Lobb (Greater Western Sydney) |
| 7 | Luke Breust (Hawthorn) | Jack Gunston (Hawthorn) | Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn) |
| 8 | Josh Gibson (Hawthorn) | Isaac Smith (Hawthorn) | Lachie Neale (Fremantle) |
| 9 | Jack Gunston (Hawthorn) | Luke Parker (Sydney) | Dan Hannebery (Sydney) |
| 10 | Josh Gibson (Hawthorn) | Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn) | Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn) |
| 11 | Nathan Jones (Melbourne) | Josh Gibson (Hawthorn) | Bernie Vince (Melbourne) |
| 12 | Jack Gunston (Hawthorn) | Grant Birchall (Hawthorn) | Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn) |
| 13 | Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn) | Daniel Wells (North Melbourne) | James Sicily (Hawthorn) |
| 14 | Tom Lynch (Gold Coast) | Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) | Gary Ablett, Jr. (Gold Coast) |
| 15 | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 16 | Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide) | Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn) | Luke Hodge (Hawthorn) |
| 17 | Josh Kennedy (Sydney) | Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) | Shaun Burgoyne (Hawthorn) |
| 18 | Dustin Martin (Richmond) | Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) | Josh Gibson (Hawthorn) |
| 19 | Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn) | Patrick Cripps (Carlton) | Shaun Burgoyne (Hawthorn) |
| 20 | Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn) | Max Gawn (Melbourne) | Jack Viney (Melbourne) |
| 21 | Andrew Swallow (North Melbourne) | Isaac Smith (Hawthorn) | Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) |
| 22 | Jeremy McGovern (West Coast) | Josh Kennedy (West Coast) | Andrew Gaff (West Coast) |
| 23 | Cyril Rioli (Hawthorn) | Shaun Burgoyne (Hawthorn) | Adam Treloar (Collingwood) |

### Brownlow Medal tally

| Player | 1 vote games | 2 vote games | 3 vote games | Total votes |
| Sam Mitchell | 3 | 2 | 3 | 16 |
| Jordan Lewis | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| Josh Gibson | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Shaun Burgoyne | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Cyril Rioli | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Jack Gunston | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Isaac Smith | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Luke Hodge | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Paul Puopolo | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| James Sicily | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Grant Birchall | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Luke Breust | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 14 | 12 | 12 | 73 |
* italics denotes ineligible player

## Tribunal cases

| Player | Round | Charge category | Verdict | Result | Victim | Club |
| Ben Stratton | 1 | Striking | Not Guilty | Cleared | Cory Gregson | Geelong |
| Grant Birchall | 3 | Rough conduct | Guilty | Fine | Jordan Roughead | Western Bulldogs |
| Ben Stratton | 6 | Rough Conduct | Not Guilty | Cleared | Nathan Wilson | Greater Western Sydney |
| Luke Hodge | 6 | Rough Conduct | Not Guilty | Cleared | Nathan Wilson | Greater Western Sydney |
| Taylor Duryea | 8 | Striking | Guilty | Fine | Hayden Ballantyne | Fremantle |
| Sam Mitchell | 9 | Striking | Not Guilty | Cleared | Dan Hannebery | Sydney |
| Jordan Lewis | 10 | High Contact | Not Guilty | Cleared | Nick Robertson | Brisbane Lions |
| Jonathon Ceglar | 11 | Striking | Guilty | 1 week | Jesse Hogan | Melbourne |
| Bradley Hill | 13 | Melee | Guilty | Fine | | North Melbourne |
| Paul Puopolo | 13 | Melee | Guilty | Fine | | North Melbourne |
| Isaac Smith | 13 | Wrestling | Guilty | Fine | Michael Firrito | North Melbourne |
| Daniel Howe | 13 | Striking | Guilty | Fine | Drew Petrie | North Melbourne |
| Luke Hodge | 17 | Rough conduct | Guilty | Fine | Callum Sinclair | Sydney |
| Cyril Rioli | 20 | Rough conduct | Guilty | Fine | Clayton Oliver | Melbourne |
| James Sicily | 20 | Striking | Guilty | 1 week | Bernie Vince | Melbourne |
| Sam Mitchell | 20 | Striking | Not Guilty | Cleared | Jack Watts | Melbourne |
| Luke Hodge | 21 | Wrestling | Guilty | Fine | Michael Firrito | North Melbourne |
| Jordan Lewis | 22 | Striking | Not Guilty | Cleared | Scott Lycett | West Coast |
| Josh Gibson | 23 | High Contact | Not Guilty | Cleared | Levi Greenwood | Collingwood |
| Jordan Lewis | Qualifying final | Striking | Not Guilty | Cleared | Joel Selwood | Geelong |
| Luke Hodge | Qualifying final | Striking | Not Guilty | Cleared | Joel Selwood | Geelong |
| Cyril Rioli | Semi final | Melee | Guilty | Fine | | Western Bulldogs |
| James Sicily | Semi final | Melee | Guilty | Fine | | Western Bulldogs |