| Club: | Hawthorn Football Club |
| Season: | 2016 |
| President: | Andrew Newbold (until 2 February 2016) Richard Garvey (from 2 February 2016) |
| Coach: | Alastair Clarkson |
| Captain: | Luke Hodge |
| Home Ground: | Melbourne Cricket Ground Aurora Stadium |
| Regularseason Comp: | AFL season |
| Regularseason Result: | 17–5 (3rd) |
| Finals Series: | Finals series |
| Finals Result: | Semi-finals (lost to 84–107) |
| Club B&Amp;F: | Best and Fairest |
| Best And Fairest: | Sam Mitchell |
| Leading Goalscorer: | Jack Gunston (51) |
| Highest Attendance: | 87,823 (Semi-final vs.) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 10,121 (Round 14 vs.) |
| Average Attendance: | 41,065 |
| Prevseason: | 2015 |
| Nextseason: | 2017 |
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 record. The 19 point win over in round 19 clinched a finals series appearance for the 7th consecutive season. The 1 point win over in round 23 clinched a double chance for the 6th consecutive season.
Hawthorn were defeated by 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 84–107 in the semi-final, ending their chances of a four-peat, the second four-peat in VFL/AFL history after (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 (2001), (2007), and (2014), and (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.
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,[1] [2] while Adidas continued to manufacture the club's on-and-off field apparel, as they had done since 2013.[3] 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.
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[4] and 2011,[5] 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.[6] On 20 October 2015, recent retiree Chris Newman joined the club as a development coach, replacing Damian Carroll who was promoted to assistant coach alongside Alastair Clarkson.[7]
On 2 February 2016, Andrew Newbold stepped down as the club's president, and was replaced in the role by vice-captain Richard Garvey.[8]
The following lists all player changes between the conclusion of the 2015 season and the beginning of the 2016 season.
| 16 October 2015 | To Pick 15, 2015 AFL draft Pick 55, 2015 AFL draft | To Jed Anderson Pick 38, 2015 AFL draft Pick 40, 2015 AFL draft | [9] | |
| 21 October 2015 | To Jack Fitzpatrick | To Pick 94, 2015 AFL draft | ||
| 22 October 2015 | To Pick 48, 2015 AFL draft | To Pick 55, 2015 AFL draft Pick 58, 2015 AFL draft |
| Round | Overall pick | Player | Recruited from | ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Ryan Burton | North Adelaide | ||
| 1 | 22 | Kieran Lovell | Tigers FC | ||
| 3 | 44 | Blake Hardwick | Eastern Ranges |
| Round | Overall pick | Player | Recruited from | ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Luke Surman | Norwood | ||
| 2 | 36 | Kade Stewart | South Fremantle | ||
| 3 | 52 | Alex Woodward | Hawthorn | ||
| 4 | 62 | Conor Glass | Derry GAA |
| Date | Player | 2016 team | Reason | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 October 2015 | Brian Lake | N/A | Retired | [10] | |
| 6 October 2015 | David Hale | N/A | Retired | ||
| 8 October 2015 | Sam Grimley | Essendon | Delisted | [11] | |
| 8 October 2015 | Jared Hardisty | N/A | Delisted | ||
| 8 October 2015 | Jonathan Simpkin | Essendon | Delisted |
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 and on either side of a heavy loss to .
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Away | Result | ||||||
| 1 | align=left | Thursday, 18 February (7:10 pm) | align=left | 0.8.5 (53) | 0.4.8 (32) | Won by 21 points | Aurora Stadium (H) | |
| 2 | align=left | Saturday, 27 February (4:40 pm) | align=left | 1.15.5 (104) | 0.4.9 (33) | Lost by 71 points | Holm Park Recreation Reserve (A) | |
| 3 | align=left | Saturday, 12 March (7:10 pm) | align=left | 2.16.11 (125) | 0.12.8 (80) | Won by 45 points | Etihad Stadium (H) | |
| Source | ||||||||
See also: 2016 AFL season. The full fixture was announced on 29 October 2015.[12] 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.[13] The club's four games at Aurora Stadium were against,, and in rounds 4, 8, 14 and 19 respectively,[13] while the club played the West Coast Eagles,,, and twice during the regular season.[14]
For the second consecutive year, and the third in the past four years, the club opened its season with an Easter Monday clash against at the Melbourne Cricket Ground; it was also the first time since 2011 in which it started a season with an away match,[15] and, due to the weighted rule, it was the only time the two teams met during the regular season.[16] 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, scheduled for Round 6, was once again played at Spotless Stadium in Sydney,[17] 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.[18] In addition, the club also played consecutive Thursday night away matches against and in Rounds 16 and 17 respectively, and played six Friday night matches throughout the regular season, the equal most of any club.[13] [14]
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Record | Report | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Away | Result | |||||||||
| 1 | align=left | Monday, 28 March (3:20 pm) | align=left | 18.8 (116) | 12.14 (86) | Lost by 30 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | 0–1 | Report | ||
| 2 | align=left | Sunday, 3 April (3:20 pm) | align=left | 14.15 (99) | 7.11 (53) | Won by 46 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 1–1 | Report | ||
| 3 | align=left | Sunday, 10 April (3:20 pm) | align=left | 13.12 (90) | 14.9 (93) | Won by 3 points | Etihad Stadium (A) | 2–1 | Report | ||
| 4 | align=left | Saturday, 16 April (2:10 pm) | align=left | 13.9 (87) | 13.6 (84) | Won by 3 points | Aurora Stadium (H) | 3–1 | Report | ||
| 5 | align=left | Friday, 22 April (7:50 pm) | align=left | 17.10 (112) | 17.7 (109) | Won by 3 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 4–1 | Report | ||
| 6 | align=left | Saturday, 30 April (4:35 pm) | align=left | 24.14 (158) | 12.11 (83) | Lost by 75 points | Spotless Stadium (A) | 4–2 | Report | ||
| 7 | align=left | Friday, 6 May (7:50 pm) | align=left | 13.12 (90) | 21.10 (136) | Won by 46 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | 5–2 | Report | ||
| 8 | align=left | Saturday, 14 May (2:10 pm) | align=left | 17.14 (116) | 11.9 (75) | Won by 41 points | Aurora Stadium (H) | 6–2 | Report | ||
| 9 | align=left | Friday, 20 May (7:50 pm) | align=left | 7.13 (55) | 10.9 (69) | Lost by 14 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 6–3 | Report | ||
| 10 | align=left | Saturday, May 28 (1:45 pm) | align=left | 13.9 (87) | 21.9 (135) | Won by 48 points | The Gabba (A) | 7–3 | Report | ||
| 11 | align=left | Saturday, 4 June (1:45 pm) | align=left | 11.16 (82) | 10.4 (64) | Won by 18 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 8–3 | Report | ||
| 12 | align=left | Friday, 10 June (7:50 pm) | align=left | 6.7 (43) | 23.13 (151) | Won by 108 points | Etihad Stadium (A) | 9–3 | Report | ||
| 13 | align=left | Friday, 17 June (7:50 pm) | align=left | 11.18 (84) | 14.9 (93) | Won by 9 points | Etihad Stadium (A) | 10–3 | Report | ||
| 14 | align=left | Sunday, 26 June (3:20 pm) | align=left | 12.14 (86) | 8.12 (60) | Won by 26 points | Aurora Stadium (H) | 11–3 | Report | ||
| 15 | Bye | ||||||||||
| 16 | align=left | Thursday, 7 July (7:20 pm) | align=left | 12.7 (79) | 15.11 (101) | Won by 22 points | Adelaide Oval (A) | 12–3 | Report | ||
| 17 | align=left | Thursday, 14 July (7:20 pm) | align=left | 10.10 (70) | 11.9 (75) | Won by 5 points | Sydney Cricket Ground (A) | 13–3 | Report | ||
| 18 | align=left | Sunday, 24 July (3:20 pm) | align=left | 16.18 (114) | 5.14 (44) | Won by 70 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 14–3 | Report | ||
| 19 | align=left | Saturday, 30 July (2:10 pm) | align=left | 10.14 (74) | 7.13 (55) | Won by 19 points | Aurora Stadium (H) | 15–3 | Report | ||
| 20 | align=left | Saturday, 6 August (2:10 pm) | align=left | 17.8 (110) | 11.15 (81) | Lost by 29 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | 15–4 | Report | ||
| 21 | align=left | Saturday, 13 August (2:10 pm) | align=left | 14.12 (96) | 8.9 (57) | Won by 39 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 16–4 | Report | ||
| 22 | align=left | Friday, 19 August (6:10 pm) | align=left | 13.14 (92) | 10.7 (67) | Lost by 25 points | Domain Stadium (A) | 16–5 | Report | ||
| 23 | align=left | Sunday, 28 August (3:20 pm) | align=left | 17.10 (112) | 17.9 (111) | Won by 1 point | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 17–5 | Report | ||
| Source | |||||||||||
See also: 2016 AFL finals series.
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Recap | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Away | Result | ||||||||
| Qualifying final | align=left | Friday, 9 September (7:50 pm) | align=left | 12.13 (85) | 12.11 (83) | Lost by 2 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | Recap | ||
| Semi-final | align=left | Friday, 16 September (7:50 pm) | align=left | 12.12 (84) | 16.11 (107) | Lost by 23 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | Recap | ||
See also: 2016 Brownlow Medal.
| Player | 1 vote games | 2 vote games | 3 vote games | Total votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 3 | 16 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 | ||
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| James Sicily | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Total | 14 | 12 | 12 | 73 |
| Player | Round | Charge category | Verdict | Result | Victim | Club | Ref(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Stratton | 1 | Striking | Not Guilty | Cleared | Cory Gregson | [20] | ||
| Grant Birchall | 3 | Rough conduct | Guilty | Fine | Jordan Roughead | [21] | ||
| Ben Stratton | 6 | Rough Conduct | Not Guilty | Cleared | Nathan Wilson | [22] | ||
| Luke Hodge | 6 | Rough Conduct | Not Guilty | Cleared | Nathan Wilson | |||
| Taylor Duryea | 8 | Striking | Guilty | Fine | Hayden Ballantyne | [23] | ||
| Sam Mitchell | 9 | Striking | Not Guilty | Cleared | Dan Hannebery | |||
| Jordan Lewis | 10 | High Contact | Not Guilty | Cleared | Nick Robertson | |||
| Jonathon Ceglar | 11 | Striking | Guilty | 1 week | Jesse Hogan | [24] | ||
| Bradley Hill | 13 | Melee | Guilty | Fine | [25] | |||
| Paul Puopolo | 13 | Melee | Guilty | Fine | ||||
| Isaac Smith | 13 | Wrestling | Guilty | Fine | Michael Firrito | |||
| Daniel Howe | 13 | Striking | Guilty | Fine | Drew Petrie | |||
| Luke Hodge | 17 | Rough conduct | Guilty | Fine | Callum Sinclair | [26] | ||
| Cyril Rioli | 20 | Rough conduct | Guilty | Fine | Clayton Oliver | [27] | ||
| James Sicily | 20 | Striking | Guilty | 1 week | Bernie Vince | |||
| Sam Mitchell | 20 | Striking | Not Guilty | Cleared | Jack Watts | |||
| Luke Hodge | 21 | Wrestling | Guilty | Fine | Michael Firrito | |||
| Jordan Lewis | 22 | Striking | Not Guilty | Cleared | Scott Lycett | |||
| Josh Gibson | 23 | High Contact | Not Guilty | Cleared | Levi Greenwood | |||
| Jordan Lewis | Qualifying final | Striking | Not Guilty | Cleared | Joel Selwood | |||
| Luke Hodge | Qualifying final | Striking | Not Guilty | Cleared | Joel Selwood | |||
| Cyril Rioli | Semi final | Melee | Guilty | Fine | ||||
| James Sicily | Semi final | Melee | Guilty | Fine |