Best of the best
Hawthorn is the competition’s most prolific scoring team, having amassed 1538 points in season 2015. What’s equally impressive is the Hawks boast the fourth best defensive unit as well having kept sides to an average of 71.4 points per match.
Above them in the defensive element of the game are West Coast, Sydney and ladder leaders Fremantle.
The Swans have conceded only 10 more points than the tight-fisted Dockers which is a credit to the likes of Heath Grundy, Ted Richards and Nick Smith and the rest of the back six.
All six will need a hand, however, from the midfield contingent against the in-form and dangerous Hawks outfit on Saturday night.
Buddy’s 700th
Lance Franklin was kept goalless last time against Hawthorn – can the Hawks’ defence do it again?
Franklin only needs two goals to reach 700 career goals – a milestone achieved by only 20 players in the history of the AFL/VFL.
Buddy played the milestone down earlier in the week while coach John Longmire also wanted to keep a lid on the occasion in favour of the four points.
But the significant milestone is hard to ignore and for Buddy to reach the feat against his former side and in front of his home crowd will be a moment to savour.
Lance Franklin and Adam Goodes have a chance to reach individual milestones against the Hawks on Saturday night.
Looking the Goodes, game by game
Lance Franklin’s 700th goal isn’t the only milestone on offer on Saturday night.
Adam Goodes will move into ninth spot on the all-time games record holders list, leapfrogging Western Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson on 364 career matches.
Goodes, who hasn’t ruled out playing on next season, will next set his sights on Footscray and Fitzroy legend Bernie Quinlan’s record of 366.
The AFL/VFL games record holder is a man by the name of Michael Tuck who pulled on a Hawthorn jumper an incredible 426 times from 1972-1991.
Teddy’s return
What a time to welcome back your number defender in Ted Richards.
With Jarryd Roughead’s inclusion looking likelier in the shadow of Saturday night’s clash, Richards doesn’t just strengthen the defensive end but injects even more experience into the playing group.
Richards, who has fully recovered from a concussion suffered in Round 14 and was all but given the green light by coach John Longmire on Wednesday, restricted the big Hawk to three behinds in the Round 8 win at the MCG.
Last weekend was the first time Richards has missed in 99 games, the second longest streak of any current player in the competition, which means the 32-year-old would be raring to go.
The last time Swans fans saw Ted Richards was on a stretcher during the Round 14 encounter with Port Adelaide at the SCG.
Squaring the ledger
The Swans recent record against Hawthorn isn’t great despite winning the last back in Round 8 this season.
Funnily enough, that’s the last time the Hawks have been defeated.
Speaking of last year’s Grand Final loss, that game is one of eight previous losses (from 12 encounters) against Hawthorn since 2011. Sunday poses a great opportunity for the Swans to improve that record against the brown and gold rival.
It will be a tough ask given the Hawks are coming off arguably the season’s most dominant win against the Dockers, but nothing an experienced Swans outfit at their best can’t achieve.
