Five Saturday fixtures and a Victorian derby in the blockbuster timeslot are the highlights of Hawthorn’s 2018 AFL roster in Tasmania.
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In addition to facing Carlton in the pre-season competition, the Hawks will host St Kilda (Round 6), Port Adelaide (Round 11), Gold Coast (Round 14) and Brisbane (Round 17) in the regular AFL season.
It will be the third season running that former tenant St Kilda has returned to UTAS Stadium but the first time the Hawks have played a Launceston match in the prime Saturday night timeslot.
Hawthorn chief operating officer Tim Silvers welcomed the continuation of the club’s “terrific partnership” with Launceston which was entering its 17th year.
“It is a fantastic draw for our Tassie Hawks members and supporters, with an even spread of games throughout the entire season,” he said.
“Round 6 against the Saints in particular is set to be a great drawcard for fans as we play a Saturday night game at UTAS Stadium for the first time ever during the home and away season.”
The Saints inflicted Hawthorn’s first loss in 20 matches at UTAS Stadium with a 75-point thumping in front of 15,571 supporters in April having drawn a crowd of 17,052 for a three-point loss a year earlier.
The roster has also thrown up several reunions with former Hawks staff as assistant coaches Brendon Bolton (Blues) and Stuart Dew (Suns) plus operations manager Chris Fagan (Lions) return to familiar territory as head coaches.
Meanwhile, Brisbane’s visit in Round 17 will also witness the return of premiership captain Luke Hodge, who Fagan persuaded to come out of retirement join the Lions at the end of last season.
Brisbane’s visit to Launceston will be its ninth in 11 seasons during which time the Lions have won just once, a seven-goal triumph back in 2009.
Port Adelaide welcomed the opportunity to take on Hawthorn in Launceston as part of Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round on June 2.
Once regulars in Launceston, it will be the Power’s first visit since 2012.
Resisting the urge to pit Tasmania’s two tenant clubs against each other, the AFL also evenly spaced out North Melbourne’s Hobart fixtures.
The Kangaroos face Carlton, Greater Western Sydney and West Coast in April, May and July respectively.
Hawthorn in Launceston
- Pre-season: Hawthorn v Carlton, 7.05pm Saturday, March 10
- Round 6: Hawthorn v St Kilda, 7.25pm Saturday, April 28
- Round 11: Hawthorn v Port Adelaide, 2.10pm, Saturday, June 2
- Round 14: Hawthorn v Gold Coast, 1.45pm, Saturday, June 23
- Round 17: Hawthorn v Brisbane, 1.45pm, Saturday, July 14
Kangaroos in Hobart
- Round 4: North Melbourne v Carlton, 7.25pm, Saturday, April 14
- Round 9: North Melbourne v Greater Western Sydney, 1.45pm, Saturday, May 19
- Round 19: North Melbourne v West Coast Eagles, 1.10pm, Sunday, July 29
Hawthorn’s 2017 UTAS fixtures
- Pre-season (Friday, February 17): Hawthorn 0.15.8 (98) d Geelong 1.13.7 (94) 8512
- Saturday, April 29: St Kilda 19.16 (130) d Hawthorn 8.7 (55) 15,571
- Saturday, May 13: Hawthorn d Brisbane 17.11 (113) to 11.9 (75) 10,553
- Saturday, July 8: Hawthorn 14.13 (97) dw GWS 15.7 (97) 12,156
- Sunday, August 13: Hawthorn 18.8 (116) d North Melbourne 14.5 (89) 14,509
Rob Shaw
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
