Footy heads run for the record books after Hawks mount 12-goal comeback and lose

July 4, 2026 — 4:32pm

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The record books were being hurriedly scurried through, twice, in Launceston, as Hawthorn followed one of the most horrific first halves in recent memory with a fightback against Melbourne that defied logic or precedent.

The Hawks fell in a disastrous 96-point hole midway through the third quarter before summoning 12 straight goals to close to within 23 points.

In the end, they were denied by a combination of the game clock and their woeful first half.

Speaking in the aftermath, Hawks coach Sam Mitchell refused to hang his hat on the Hawks’ blistering late surge, instead focusing on the earlier humiliation which proved terminal in their 35-point loss, 19.11 (125) to 14.6 (90).

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The Hawks’ tidal wave breathed some excitement into the contest, but it all came far too late and with too much serious damage already inflicted.

“We look at the first half and one team had all their ducks in a row, came ready to play and the other team didn’t,” he said.

“There were too many problems in the game.

“Clearances were 29-8 at half-time ... we kicked one goal, and we couldn’t stop their scoring.

“We had problems in every department of the ground and every phase.

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“There will be some of us who will want to look at the second half, but I think we need to be realistic about where we’re at today.

“The first half shows that, in a competition like this, if you don’t turn up ready to play, then you’ll get taught a lesson, which we did.”

Hawthorn were dealt a blow late in the week when defender Josh Battle underwent surgery to remove his appendix, joining fellow first-choicers Nick Watson, Karl Amon and Ned Reeves in the list of outs.

But personnel alone cannot excuse how abject the Hawks were for more than an hour out of the gates at a venue long forged as a home-away-from-home fortress. They resembled witches hats and were treated with appropriate contempt by Melbourne.

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While wiping aside the merits of his team’s comeback, Mitchell was also firm in his belief that the horrific first half was not a true reflection of Hawthorn’s current standing.

“I’d like to think that’s not where we’re at,” he said.

“We’ve continued to be a work in progress.

“We had some changes to the side which took us a little while to settle into.

“We didn’t perform well in any phase of the game, and we recognise we’ve got some work to do to be the best side in the competition, which is what we strive for, but we’re not there yet.

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“Melbourne aren’t playing for a lot after three-quarter-time – they’ve got the game sewn up pretty much.

“We kicked a few good goals and did a few nice things, but I wouldn’t read too much into it.

“I don’t think that was the reality of the game.”

Demons coach Steven King, similarly, didn’t want to dwell on the last 30 or so minutes of action.

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“[UTAS Stadium is] not an easy place to come down and win,” he said.

“[We] walk away with four points, walk away winning interstate, walk away with a pretty good three quarters of footy.

“[I’m] just so happy and thrilled with the way the boys set the tone of the game early.

“You’re never sure what you’re going to get off a bye, but the things we sort of put in place and focused on to try and refine Demon football I thought came to life for three quarters.

“[In] the last quarter – we know Hawthorn would come out and have a run at it [the deficit].

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Essendon’s record for the biggest comeback in VFL/AFL history to win (69 points against North Melbourne in 2001) remains intact.

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AFL 2026

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Default avatarSteve Barrett writes about sport for The Age.

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