The high-flying Hawks are on the verge of a rare feat as they continue to recover from a 0-5 start.
HAWTHORN is about to pull off one of football’s most remarkable accomplishments.
After starting the season 0-5, the Hawks have won 12 of their last 16 games, climbing into the top eight after defeating Carlton by 74 points on Sunday. The turnaround has been remarkable.
The Hawks are on track to become only the third side in VFL/AFL history to reach the finals, and the second since 2000, after losing their first five games of the season.
The only other team to accomplish this feat during the top eight era was Sydney in 2017.
That Sydney team went 0-6 that year but then won 14 of its final 16 home and away games to finish sixth on the ladder, defeating Essendon in an elimination final.
Their run came to an end the next week, with a crushing defeat to Geelong.
Only one other VFL/AFL team has reached the finals after beginning 0-5, Collingwood in 1959.
In a 12-team league, the Magpies finished 12-6 but were eliminated without winning a final. However, in an era when only the top four teams competed in finals after an 18-game home and away season, the Magpies’ achievement is unlikely to be matched.
The 2017 Swans had only 22 regular-season games to recover from their disastrous start, whereas the Hawks will have 23. However, with only two games remaining, Sam Mitchell’s team has already advanced to the eighth place.
A 53-point loss to the Gold Coast in round five, labeled as “completely unacceptable” by Mitchell, proved to be the turning point for the Hawks.
