1981 Hawthorn Football Club season

Hawthorn Football Club

1981 season
President	Ron Cook
Coach	Allan Jeans
Captain(s)	Leigh Matthews
Home ground	Princes Park
VFL season	13–9 (6th)
Finals series	Did not qualify
Best and Fairest	Terry Wallace
Leading goalkicker	Leigh Matthews (48)
Highest home attendance	92,935 (Round 11 vs. Collingwood)
Lowest home attendance	7,992 (Round 22 vs. Melbourne)
Average home attendance	22,955
← 1980 1982 →

The 1981 season was the Hawthorn Football Club's 57th season in the Victorian Football League and 80th overall.

Fixture

Premiership season

Rd	Date and local time	Opponent	Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold)			Venue	Attendance	Record
			Home	Away	Result
1	Saturday, 28 March (2:10 pm)	Melbourne	16.16 (112)	23.15 (153)	Won by 41 points	Melbourne Cricket Ground (A)	32,202	1–0
2	Saturday, 4 March (2:10 pm)	Carlton	16.11 (107)	17.21 (123)	Lost by 16 points	Princes Park (H)	30,159	1–1
3	Saturday, 11 April (2:10 pm)	South Melbourne	21.13 (139)	18.9 (117)	Lost by 22 points	VFL Park (A)	21,977	1–2
4	Monday, 20 April (2:10 pm)	Essendon	11.13 (79)	13.16 (94)	Won by 15 points	Windy Hill (A)	29,597	2–2
5	Saturday, 25 April (2:10 pm)	North Melbourne	17.16 (118)	11.17 (83)	Won by 35 points	Princes Park (H)	16,116	3–2
6	Saturday, 2 May (2:10 pm)	Richmond	10.19 (79)	23.16 (154)	Won by 75 points	Melbourne Cricket Ground (A)	45,750	4–2
7	Saturday, 9 May (2:10 pm)	Geelong	8.8 (56)	7.17 (59)	Lost by 3 points	Princes Park (H)	13,273	4–3
8	Saturday, 16 May (2:10 pm)	Fitzroy	21.18 (144)	16.19 (115)	Won by 29 points	Princes Park (H)	17,459	5–3
9	Saturday, 23 May (2:10 pm)	Footscray	10.14 (74)	11.18 (84)	Won by 10 points	Western Oval (A)	13,789	6–3
10	Saturday, 30 May (2:10 pm)	St Kilda	13.17 (95)	11.14 (80)	Won by 15 points	Princes Park (H)	14,961	7–3
11	Monday, 8 June (2:10 pm)	Collingwood	18.19 (127)	12.9 (81)	Won by 46 points	VFL Park (H)	92,935	8–3
12	Saturday, 13 June (2:10 pm)	Carlton	21.13 (139)	14.16 (100)	Lost by 39 points	Princes Park (A)	26,990	8–4
13	Saturday, 20 June (2:10 pm)	South Melbourne	20.18 (138)	15.16 (106)	Won by 32 points	Princes Park (H)	11,656	9–4
14	Sunday, 28 June (2:10 pm)	Essendon	20.13 (133)	22.19 (151)	Lost by 18 points	The Gabba (H)	20,351	9–5
15	Saturday, 4 July (2:10 pm)	North Melbourne	7.13 (55)	16.19 (115)	Won by 60 points	Arden Street Oval (A)	8,160	10–5
16	Saturday, 18 July (2:10 pm)	Richmond	12.14 (86)	20.11 (131)	Lost by 45 points	Princes Park (H)	19,617	10–6
17	Saturday, 25 July (2:10 pm)	Geelong	10.11 (71)	8.9 (57)	Lost by 14 points	Kardinia Park (A)	24,753	10–7
18	Saturday, 1 August (2:10 pm)	Fitzroy	10.13 (73)	7.19 (61)	Lost by 12 points	Junction Oval (A)	16,013	10–8
19	Saturday, 8 August (2:10 pm)	Footscray	15.21 (111)	13.12 (90)	Won by 21 points	Princes Park (H)	8,058	11–8
20	Saturday, 15 August (2:10 pm)	St Kilda	9.14 (68)	10.17 (77)	Won by 9 points	VFL Park (A)	20,863	12–8
21	Saturday, 22 August (2:10 pm)	Collingwood	22.17 (149)	11.10 (76)	Lost by 73 points	Victoria Park (A)	26,680	12–9
22	Saturday, 29 August (2:10 pm)	Melbourne	15.20 (110)	8.9 (57)	Won by 53 points	Princes Park (H)	7,922	13–9

Ladder

(P)	Premiers
	Qualified for finals

#	Team	P	W	L	D	PF	PA	%	Pts
1	Carlton (P)	22	17	5	0	2303	1768	130.3	68
2	Collingwood	22	17	5	0	2399	1957	122.6	68
3	Geelong	22	16	6	0	2224	1714	129.8	64
4	Essendon	22	16	6	0	2323	1821	127.6	64
5	Fitzroy	22	14	8	0	2413	2152	112.1	56
6	Hawthorn	22	13	9	0	2313	2114	109.4	52
7	Richmond	22	13	9	0	2323	2207	105.3	52
8	North Melbourne	22	10	12	0	2386	2293	104.1	40
9	South Melbourne	22	8	14	0	2165	2522	85.8	32
10	St Kilda	22	5	17	0	1930	2266	85.2	20
11	Footscray	22	2	20	0	1764	2680	65.8	8
12	Melbourne	22	1	21	0	1824	2873	63.5	4

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 99.9
Source: AFL Tables