On the road again...

Tales from a young fan and his brown and gold journey across the country

Jun 27, 2024

As he gets set to catch a plane across the Nullarbor, your favourite Weiss Insider is back to share his insights into his experiences travelling to watch the Hawks. ETHAN WEISS is back and on the Stack, and back in the air.

There are so many states and territories in Australia, but what is the best thing about all of them?

Their churches? Their souvenirs? In my opinion, it is all about the footy grounds in each state or territory that makes them appealing.

Every year, my dad and I go on an interstate footy trip as my birthday present. This weekend we are going to Perth to watch us take on the Eagles, and in honour of that, I thought I would rate all of the interstate grounds and games that I have been to.

I’ve been far and wide - despite being just a kid, but below are my ratings of each ground and game in different states and territories.

The Gabba - Brisbane, Queensland

Round 11, 2019: Brisbane 12.13.85 defeated Hawthorn 10.6.66.

Four premierships, two Norm Smith Medals, three All-Australian selections, two PCM’s… our 2011-2016 skipper, Luke Hodge. There was so much controversy when he came out of retirement to move up to Brisbane.

What position would he play? Would we think of him differently? Would we love him less? Will his kids play for Brisbane? Our biggest question was how we were going to beat the Lions, and to show Hodgey that he should never have left.

Dad and I made the trip up to Brisbane to watch the scenes unfold. The Hawks lost by 19 points that night in front of over 20,000 Lions fans, and it wasn’t the outcome or level of satisfaction that your are looking for going interstate to watch your team. It was still a good experience, and we will always love Hodgey and respect him, no matter what colours he pulls on.

Overall Gabba rating: C

Norwood Oval - Adelaide, South Australia

Round 5, 2023: GWS 10.17.77 defeated Hawthorn 11.9.75

For the official first ever Gather Round, dad and I ventured to Adelaide to watch us take on the Giants at Norwood oval.

It was only the second AFL game to be played there, and the ground didn’t impress me much. However, the atmosphere was pretty good there, and it was incredible to be among an excited Adelaide community.

While the Hawks lost by two points due to some desperate work from Harry Himmelberg for the Giants, it was a great effort and a great day to be a part of.

Fergus Greene had one of his better AFL games kicking three goals, and Jai Newcombe, James Worpel and Connor Nash all racked up plenty of touches. It was also good to have premiership Hawk Paul Puopolo at the ground, as Norwood is his hometown.

This was also the first time I ever got to watch the footy with Ashley Browne, who I have always looked up to as a journalist in the Footy Record and for Hawks Insiders.

Overall Norwood Oval rating: B

University of Tasmania Stadium - Launceston, Tasmania

Round 21, 2010: Hawthorn 24.11.155 defeated Fremantle 5.9.39.

While this game wasn’t a birthday present interstate game, this game holds a special place in my heart. I don’t remember anything from that day, as I was just over one year old and not only was this my first interstate game of footy, but it was my first ever game of footy.

The Hawks had an absolute day out that day and while Buddy snagged five goals and Roughy kicked four, dad says it will be mainly remembered for Shaun Burgoyne kicking four from the midfield. As well as the four goals, Burgoyne racked up 37 touches, making it one of his best individual career performances.

Round 8, 2017: Hawthorn 17.11.113 defeated Brisbane 11.9.75

I was only eight years old. It was my first interstate birthday trip to watch the footy, just dad and I. The period of the true Hawk dominance in the mid-2010’s had ended, and yet we still had some big names playing such as Sam Mitchell, Luke Hodge, Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead and Shaun Burgoyne, with many other premiership heroes involved that day too. It was very windy, but due to our record at the ground, it felt like a true home away from home.

The Hawks eventually came out as 38-point winners after some hard-fought work in the first three quarters. The only sour moment of the day was Cyril getting injured, and as an eight year old kid, you never wanted to see that happening. That game gave me my first true taste of interstate footy, and the idea that it isn’t all about playing under the big MCG lights.

Round 6, 2021: Hawthorn 15.12.102 defeated 16.3.99.

This game was arguably Jacob Koschitzke’s best day in the brown and gold (and I know that he didn’t have many good days) but he managed to kick a career-high five in a nail biting win over the Crows.

The Hawks trailed by 32 points at three quarter time thanks to Riley Thilthorpe on debut at the other end (he also kicked 5), but we managed to get a three-point win in front of our home Tassie crowd, with Kozzie kicking the winner.

With the game being on Anzac day, the last post didn’t disappoint either.

Overall UTAS Stadium rating: A

Adelaide Oval - Adelaide, South Australia

Round 2, 2022: Port Adelaide 7.14.56 lost to Hawthorn 19.6.120

Despite the vicious Port Adelaide crowd, it was already party time for us Hawk fans before the half-time break, as we won by a whopping 64 points.

While Karl Amon, Travis Boak and Zak Butters tore the stats sheet apart for the Power, it was Mitch Lewis who stood out for us, kicking a career-high five goals. Luke Breust and Jack Gunston kicked three each which was also fun to watch.

At the other end, while Sam Frost only had 13 touches he held Todd Marshall to only four and was scoreless. We also dominated the ruck that day, having 24 extra hit-outs using the Ned Reeves / Ben McEvoy combination.

Overall Adelaide Oval rating: A

MCG - Melbourne, Victoria

Yes, I am from Victoria, and go to the footy most weeks, but I had to add the ‘G to the list. I have watched two Hawk flags at the ground, and seen so much success (and failure), and it will always be a prolific part of my life, and a home away from home.

There are the Breust snaps, the Hodge smothers, the McEvoy taps, the Lewis kicks, the Mitchell Handballs, the Smith bombs, there are so many moments at the MCG that I will cherish forever.

Whether it was with 20,000 people in the house, or 100,000 strong, I have been going to the home of footy for more than 10 years, and hopefully will get to keep doing that and showing my support for the Hawks.

Overall MCG rating: A+

So, hopefully after this weekend, I will be able to book in Optus Stadium as an A+ stadium, after we beat the Eagles.

Ever since it has been built, Optus Stadium has been on my bucket list to visit, and we cannot wait to experience the venue.

I have loved sharing my different journeys with the Hawks around the country.

Don’t forget to listen in as the HI team goes live on Wednesday nights on X (Twitter). Follow us on social media through the links below:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Hawks Insiders