Since Hawthorn and Adelaide graced York Park in round six of the 2001 AFL season, 74 top-flight games have been held at the venue.
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Now known as UTAS Stadium, Launceston hosts its 75th AFL game and potentially its biggest as Essendon hits the surface for the first time on Sunday.
BREAKING THE DUCK
- Hawthorn 16.8 (104) d Adelaide 12.19 (91), May 6 2001, York Park match No. 1
A then-record crowd of 17,460 turned up to see Launceston's first AFL game as a part of Hawthorn's three-year Tasmanian deal and the Hawks didn't disappoint - defeating Adelaide by 13 points.
Defeating the line-up full of names like Mark Bickley, Ben Hart, Nigel Smart and Darren Jarman, the Hawks led at every break, getting the better of their opposition as the pair went toe-to-toe in a 14-goal, second-quarter shoot-out.
Despite the defeat, Jarman was named best on ground for his 39 disposals, receiving the inaugural Mayor of Launceston's trophy as voted by Robert DiPierdomenico, Anthony Hudson, Gerard Healy, Kevin Bartlett, Ian Paton and Robert Groenewegen.
The win marked the Hawks' first 6-0 season in 76 years and saw the Tassie Mariners go down to the Geelong Falcons in a curtain-raiser.
The attendance record from the game was usurped in 2002 as the Hawks faced Port Adelaide before the current number of 20,971 was set in 2006 at Hawthorn versus Richmond.
SIRENGATE SILENCE
- Fremantle 14.10 (94) d St Kilda 13.15 (93), April 30 2006, York Park match No. 17
Launceston played its part in one of the AFL's most controversial moments in the past 15 years back in April 2006 as St Kilda hosted Fremantle.
Dubbed Sirengate by the Australian media and public, the match's siren wasn't heard, resulting in play continuing for an extra 10 seconds, in which the Saints scored and levelled the game.
To make matter worse, St Kilda player Steven Baker was given yet another shot after the siren, giving the Saints the chance to win the game, but he missed, with the result determined a draw on the day, angering Dockers coach Chris Connolly.
"There is a protest in from the Fremantle Football Club because it was a great win by our club," he said.
"We will leave no stone unturned for its 35,000 supporters to get these four points ... because this is unacceptable - we clearly won the game.
I feel angry but hope that common sense prevails.
Connolly's version of common sense prevailed in the end, with the AFL overturning the drawn result three days later for the first time since 1900, which also involved St Kilda.
The Dockers led by as much as 33 points in the third term and were assisted by Fraser Gehrig's 150-metre penalty - which is almost an Aurora Stadium highlight of its own.
Gehrig started by tackling Michael Johnston on the last line of defence before he'd played on before engaging with David Mundy and Antoni Grover, giving the Dockers two goals and extending their lead.
The date is one etched in Tasmanian history, with miners Brant Webb and Todd Russell located in the Beaconsfield Mine after five days without contact following a rockfall.
MAJOR MILESTONES
- Crawford: Hawthorn 16.14 (110) d Brisbane 5.11 (41), August 9 2008, York Park match No. 28
- Goodes: Sydney 16.10 (106) d Hawthorn 10.9 (69), April 29 2012, York Park match No. 41
Launceston's stadium has played host to many milestones over the journey but two matches that sit close to the hearts of AFL greats are Shane Crawford's 300th and Adam Goodes' record-breaking 304th.
Playing what would be his last season of AFL football, the then 33-year-old Crawford had only managed seven games before the round 19 encounter with Brisbane, battling knee tendonitis.
We all know the famous "that's what I'm talking about" celebration atop the grand final dais on that glorious day in September but in August of 2008, there were fears for Crawford's career, so the 300th was a key milestone.
In the 59-point defeat of Brisbane, Crawford managed 28 disposals - his second-highest output of the season - took eight marks and had six tackles in his 84 per cent game time on ground.
Less than four years later, it was Goodes' turn to celebrate, overtaking Michael O'Loughlin's Swans games record.
Playing the 304th game of a career that would last 372, Goodes was 32 years old as he instigated a match-winning comeback against the Hawks, inflicting one of their 15 losses on York Park.
He kicked three majors, had 21 disposals and was on the park for almost all the game as the Swans booted 11 goals to two in the second half to run away 37-point victors and celebrate Goodesy in style.
BUDDY THE BEST
- Hawthorn 27.12 (174) d North Melbourne 9.5 (59), June 2 2012, York Park match No. 43.
More than a month after Goodes' milestone match, Lance Franklin showed AFL in Tasmania was well worth attending, booting 13 majors in a phenomenal display of goalkicking.
Kicking his first after the quarter-time siren, Franklin kicked the first three majors of the second in a five-goal term before booting four in the third and three in the final.
His efforts haven't been beaten in Launceston, with only Jarryd Roughead and Mark Williams coming close with their eight-goal hauls.
In the week leading up to the match, coach Alastair Clarkson predicted that Franklin was "only a quarter away from tearing a game apart'' and after the quiet first team he certainly did but after the game, the leader wasn't as comfortable hyping up his champion.
''It's not about Lance, it's about our team,'' he said.
North Melbourne leader Brad Scott was more forthcoming about the performance, however, labelling it ''one of the best individual displays I've seen".
Nine years later, North Melbourne finally got its revenge by defeating Hawthorn in the stadium's most recent match.
THE STREAK BREAKS
- St Kilda 19.16 (130) d Hawthorn 8.7 (55), April 29 2017, York Park match 61.
In their 66 matches at York Park, the Hawks have been victorious in 50, winning 76.52 per cent of their Launceston games, making it the AFL's best record at any venue (minimum 50 games played).
A particularly dominant period from Goodes' 304th game in 2012 until a 19-point win over Carlton in 2016 saw the Hawks get to 19 in a row.
READ MORE: Essendon fans eager for Hawthorn clash
But like all good things, the Hawks' streak had to come to an end, as former Tasmanian partner St Kilda defeated the home side by 75 points in the Saints' second game in the state since 2009.
The Saints reversed the three-point margin from 2016 to collect their first win over Hawthorn since 2009 as Dylan Roberton, Koby Stevens and Jack Steele all ran rampant on the Hawks.
LAUNCESTON LEADERS
Games
- Luke Hodge (47)
- Shaun Burgoyne, Jarryd Roughead (44)
- Jordan Lewis (42)
- Sam Mitchell (41)
Goals
- Jarryd Roughead (102)
- Lance Franklin (94)
- Luke Breust (72)
- Jack Gunston (45)
- Jordan Lewis (36)