Sunday should have been a celebration, a proud, roaring, gold-and-brown-soaked celebration of one of the most successful and resilient clubs in AFL history.
Hawthorn’s 100th year in the VFL/AFL was meant to be a centenary worth savouring.
Instead, it felt like an afterthought.
The Hawks took on Richmond at the MCG in a round 8 fixture that, had it been scheduled with any foresight, could have been one of the marquee events of the AFL season.
Two proud Victorian clubs. Seven combined premierships since 2008. A century of Hawks history.
But what did the AFL do with this opportunity? They tucked it away in a sleepy Sunday slot, one that barely generated a buzz, and worse, struggled to draw a crowd.
The issue wasn’t the total crowd figure – over 60,000 turned up eventually – but how few were there at the start. As the club ran its centenary celebrations pre-game, welcoming past legends and recognising its history, ten of thousands of seats remained empty.
The images told the story: this wasn’t a packed MCG buzzing with energy; it was a slow build on a day that should’ve begun with a bang.
It should have been a defining moment: a packed MCG, brown and gold everywhere, a unified roar as past greats walked onto the field. Instead, it felt like a rehearsal.
The TV cameras panned across swathes of empty seats, and the atmosphere just didn’t match the occasion. That’s not a knock on the fans; it’s a product of the timeslot. A mid-afternoon Sunday start, with families juggling weekend routines, was never going to deliver the kind of presence or build-up the moment deserved. In the end, it wasn’t the celebration itself that fell short – it was the setting that let it down.
It’s hard not to wonder why this match wasn’t given a bigger billing. Hawthorn has one of the most passionate supporter bases in the game, as well as being the story of 2024.
A Friday night timeslot seemed like the obvious choice.
Instead, the marquee slot went to St Kilda vs Fremantle at Marvel Stadium – a flat contest on the field and flatter in the stands, with Freo putting up a stinker and the crowd well below capacity, scraping just past 20,000.
And here’s the kicker: the AFL has gotten this right before. When Essendon celebrated their 150th anniversary in 2022, they hosted arch-rival Carlton at the MCG on a Friday night.
It was a proper occasion. It was respected, hyped, and worthy of the milestone.
The Bulldogs marked their centenary in Round 2 with a prime-time fixture that honoured their working-class roots and rich history.
Even St Kilda, a club often overlooked by the league’s powerbrokers, was given a Friday night stage to commemorate 150 years.
These weren’t just matches – they were events. They mattered.
Meanwhile, one of the AFL’s greatest clubs – particularly in the modern era – marked 100 years quietly, almost in the shadows.
This is about more than just fixture frustration. It’s about respect. It’s about understanding what makes this game great, not just the flashy moments or the TV rights deals, but the history, the rivalries, and the deep tribal roots that have built Australian Rules into what it is.
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Hawthorn has been a pillar of that foundation, whether you’re a fan of them or not. What happened on Sunday was a failure in storytelling.
The AFL had a chance to lean into its own rich history, to celebrate a club that helped define the modern game. Instead, it dropped the ball in spectacular fashion.
Let’s not pretend this was unforeseeable. The Hawks’ centenary has been on the radar for years. There was ample time to get this right. Instead, the AFL scheduled it like it was a Round 23 dead rubber between also-rans.
Yes, fixturing is complicated. Yes, there are commercial considerations, broadcast demands, venue availability. But if a club’s 100th year doesn’t cut through that red tape, what does?
This isn’t just about Hawthorn. It’s about how the league values its own heritage. Fans of any club should take notice, because if the AFL can sideline a century of history like this, what hope is there for any moment of real significance to get the spotlight it deserves?
Hawthorn deserved better. Football deserved better.
And fans, who stick by this game through thick and thin, deserved a celebration worth remembering. Not a centenary forgotten by scheduling indifference.
The moment deserved more than just a fixture. It deserved a spotlight.
Next time, the AFL must ensure the calendar reflects the weight of the history it claims to honour.
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