Hawthorn had an almost casual attitude towards playing football and—lying remote from major industrial areas and consequently devoid of the business or political patrons available to Carlton, Richmond and Collingwood[24]—were not able to even pay their players the match payment then allowed by the Coulter Law.

Half-back flanker Col Austen tied with South Melbourne's Ron Clegg for the 1949 Brownlow Medal but was not awarded it based on the "countback" system in place at that time.

Fresh from school, teenagers John Peck, Allan Woodley, Noel Voigt and Brian Kann started at Hawthorn and the club won eight games.

In 1971 the Hawks finished on top of the ladder, the first time since 1963, Peter Hudson equalled Bob Pratt's record of 150 goals in a season and Leigh Matthews won his first of eight club championships.

"Kennedy's Commandos" (the term given to the team after the coach's tough physical training program and loudly proclaimed in the huge banners that swept around the MCG (now sadly replaced by advertising signs)) came into force.

The Hawks lost only 3 games for the year; Jason Dunstall kicked 132 goals and the team would win the 1988 Premiership 22.20 (152) against Melbourne 6.20 (56); a then-record margin in a Grand Final of 96 points.

However, the physical toll on the Hawks began to show as the match wore on; with John Platten being concussed, Robert DiPierdomenico puncturing his lung, Dermott Brereton breaking his ribs and Michael Tuck splitting the webbing on his hand.

At the end of 1991, Hawthorn selected a young Shane Crawford with pick 13 in the National Draft, who eventually became the only surviving link between this era of success and its next triumph 17 seasons later.

After numerous years of planning, the club relocated its administrative headquarters from Glenferrie Oval to a state-of-the-art redeveloped facility at Waverley Park in the early stages of 2006.

Teammates joining Lake as premiership players who began their careers at other clubs were Jonathan Simpkin, Jack Gunston (runner-up in Norm Smith voting with his 4 goals), David Hale, Shaun Burgoyne, Josh Gibson and Brent Guerra.

On the hottest Grand Final day in history, verging on 31 degrees Celsius, the Hawks defeated the Eagles to claim their third flag in a row - a feat last achieved by the Brisbane Lions (2001–2003).

2016 began with the retirements of triple premiership players Brian Lake and David Hale, and the club entered the season without Jarryd Roughead, who had injured his knee in late 2015.

A victory over Sydney in the final minutes of the round 10 game saw a small amount of hope return, but the next week against Port Adelaide, the club was kept to just three points in the first half en route to another major loss.

The club was also suffering from the absence of Ben Stratton, Grant Birchall, Cyril Rioli and James Frawley, who all played minimal football in the year.

Former premiership captain Luke Hodge announced his retirement before his 300th game, only to change his mind after the season was completed, requesting to play on with the Brisbane Lions, where he was later traded.

[38] In September 2022, the club commissioned an external review of its historical treatment of Indigenous players, covering the period of Clarkson's tenure, including premiership years.

The Hawks knocked the Western Bulldogs out of premiership contention with a 37-point victory in the elimination final, before their fairytale campaign came to an end after an emotionally charged three-point semifinal loss to Port Adelaide.

In 1982, however, on the back of a large-scale marketing drive, "The new force of the 80s", the club adopted the famous "Hawk Head" created by Swinburne Institute student Velda Ellis.

The song gained prominence when it was featured in the wartime 1942 musical Yankee Doodle Dandy starring James Cagney as George M. Cohan performing the part of Johnny Jones on stage.

The oval and a section of the Sir Kenneth Luke stand have been retained by developer Mirvac as part of their redevelopment of the Waverley site as a housing estate, largely as a result of a Victorian government commitment to keep football there.

[citation needed] In August 2005, former Victorian State Premier Jeff Kennett, a long time Hawthorn supporter and former number one membership ticket holder, was appointed to the board of the club with the intention of standing for president at the next coming annual general meeting.

The first sod was turned in February 2024, with Hawthorn President Andy Gowers, CEO Ash Klein, Senior Coach Sam Mitchell, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with state and local representatives present on the occasion.

[54] On 19 July 2019, Hawthorn launched their reconciliation plan, which builds upon a foundation of existing programs and events and lays the groundwork towards fulfilling the club's aspirations of becoming leaders in community connection to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

[56] At their 2007 Annual General Meeting, Hawthorn embarked on a 5-year business plan titled "five2fifty", the core idea being that in the next five years the club would target to win 2 premierships and have fifty thousand members.

Central to successfully achieving its commercial objectives, the Hawks have identified the importance of solidifying its status as a major MCG tenant as crucial to growing its membership and crowd support.

In the 1989 Grand Final, Geelong played the man, resulting in major injuries for several Hawks players: Mark Yeates smashed into Dermott Brereton at the opening bounce with a premeditated blind-side hit; Garry Hocking knocked Hawthorn's champion rover, John Platten out of the game with a concussion and Gary Ablett cannoned so hard into the back of Robert DiPierdomenico when Dipper took a mark that he broke Dipper's ribs and punctured one of his lungs.

But Hawthorn managed to pull off a magnificent upset victory by 26 points thanks in part to a stellar performance by Luke Hodge in defence and also a match-winning five minute burst from Stuart Dew late in the 3rd quarter.

The club's on-field results had not reached any great heights in those early days but both the VFA and VFL had recognised the importance of representation in the suburbs east of the Yarra River.

These dressing sheds were erected in the north-west corner of the ground, where the Tuck Stand now resides, and were later moved to the Rathmines Road Reserve in Hawthorn where it still exists today.

[82] As a result of the agreement with the Tasmanian government, thousands of Melbourne-based Hawthorn supporters have travelled to Tasmania to watch the Hawks play, increasing activity within the local Launceston economy.