We love contributions from our Hawks Insiders family, and are lucky enough to have this contribution sent in from one of our OG supporters, Dan Vallins. Dan has sent a wonderful recap of his Opening Round experience with his son at the SCG. Enjoy!
Hawk fan DAN VALLINS takes us through his unforgettable SCG experience that he shared with his nine year old son
We had all been there—at the end of the pre-season, champing at the bit for the real stuff to begin.
Hope inspired all fans, and when we heard the clichés—"Player X has been training the house down" or "this player is going to have a breakout season"—it was like a red flag to a bull. Bring on the season.
It had been a while since Hawthorn fans could approach an upcoming season with this much optimism. The last time I could recall feeling this hopeful, my son was not even one yet. Now he is nine years old, and incredibly, he had only experienced one finals win from his Mighty Hawks.
So for him to finally understand the excitement of an opening round and attend his first game at the SCG was a joy to be a part of.
The Build-Up
As we walked into the ground, there was the familiar banter between fans—joking about why one team was going to destroy the other, the call of "Get your record!" from kids selling them, the smell of hot chips being deep-fried, and the sound of kids kicking the ball to each other, trying to take speccies over their mates.
Surely, there’s nothing better than anticipating the moment when the umpire is about to bounce the ball, filled with the confidence that the Hawks had put in the hard work during the pre-season and were ready to take the Swans by the wings and give it a good, hard shake!
The Pregame Experience
On arrival at Moore Park, I joined fellow Hawkers in line, waiting to purchase seafood paella and pizza for my son. We started talking about why the Hawks were going to win that night and which players were crucial.
From Moore Park to the famous SCG, activities were in full swing—music playing, merchandise to be bought. With a newly minted Hawks AFL ball tucked under his arm, my son and I marched to the gates of the SCG and found our seats in the members’ stand.
The anticipation built as the crowd grew, the excitement of the season opener palpable. The umpire held the ball aloft and then bounced it as the first quarter began. Sure enough, the roar of the crowd lifted a notch as Lloyd Meek jumped into Brodie Grundy and tapped the ball expertly to Jai Newcombe, who handballed it off to Will Day.
The game was on, with the Hawks controlling the ball for the first few minutes.
The First Quarter
The few Hawks fans within shouting distance seemed to roar louder than the masquerading Swans supporters. The Swans kicked the first goal of the game, and while their fans cheered, they quickly returned to their discussions about their week and where best to go for a cosmopolitan.
It was certainly a different experience from a game at the MCG, where two Victorian powerhouses and their respective support bases would go hammer and tong at each other for 180 minutes.
By the end of the first quarter, the Hawks were a goal up and looking every bit the team we expected under a well-coached Sam Mitchell. Tom Barrass was resembling the Wall of China (one Hawks fan even yelled, "That’s what we paid for!" after his first intercept mark). Day was showing the football world—what we Hawks fans already knew—the class he possessed, and Meek was well on top of Grundy.
The educated Swans couple in front of us noted that they didn’t have any ready-made replacements for Grundy, sensing the momentum was with the Hawks.
The Second Quarter
The second quarter kicked off, and while it was a bit of a tug-of-war, there was a dreaded sense within the crowd that the Hawks could tear the game open. After seven minutes, the Swans got the first goal of the quarter, but the celebration from the crowd was surprisingly subdued.
I turned around in amazement to see one Swans fan working on her classical music, barely noticing that Sydney had kicked a goal. And that was the last highlight for her and her fellow fans that quarter.
HOKball returned, with Amon’s incredible running one-two with Newcombe electrifying the Hawks fans around the ground and getting the team up and running.
At halftime, with the Hawks holding a healthy 20-point lead, fans walked to the bars and food stalls with a pep in their step.
The Third Quarter Shift
As the third quarter began, whatever Dean Cox had said at halftime seemed to have worked—his Swans came out galvanised. After the Hawks kicked the first goal of the quarter, the Swans responded with four unanswered goals, and the crowd finally woke from their slumber.
They engaged with the game, trying to lift their team against the enemy. And lift them they did, reeling in the Hawks. By three-quarter time, the margin was only five points.
It was during this quarter that Hawks fans had their hearts in their mouths, watching Day receive treatment on the bench for his leg.
The Final Quarter
There was a quiet hum over the crowd as the fourth quarter began. Hawks fans anxiously waited to see if Day would return to the field, while Swans supporters hoped their team could continue the momentum from the third quarter.
The rain had settled in, and the game was there for the taking.
With quiet relief—and a loud roar from the minority of Hawks fans in enemy territory—an unlikely settler goal came from Finn Maginness.
While the Swans dominated the next 10 minutes, they failed to convert that dominance into goals. The Hawks made them pay, with goals from Croc and Sicily sealing the win.
With seven or eight minutes to go, the crowd—losing hope—began fleeing the SCG, ready to resume their weekends.
The night was punctuated by one final moment for my son—he received a high-five from Coach Sam Mitchell and joined in a healthy rendition of the Hawks’ theme song with the small but incredibly loud group of Hawks fans.
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Dan, thanks for writing and sharing this article, it was a pleasure to read.
Your final sentence left me feeling so happy knowing that your nine year old son was so excited to receive a high five from Sam and that your son got to sing the song after his team's win. And no doubt, I'm sure as a parent, it would have given you great joy to witness this. This shared experience will be a memory for both you and your son to talk about and remember for many years to come.
Go Hawks!!!