Jeff Kennett claims Hawthorn ‘suffer in silence’ as club says six Sunday twilight games have contributed to poor crowds

Hawthorn says a run of six Sunday twilights games in nine games this year has contributed to low crowds, conceding fans are “voting with their feet” about unfavourable timeslots.

Hawthorn huddles up before a small crowd before its clash against West Coast. Picture: Mark Stewart

Hawthorn chief executive Justin Reeves says the club would rather face interstate clubs in Tasmania than be given Sunday twilight fixtures in Melbourne.

Hawks president Jeff Kennett claimed on Friday night the club had lost up to $1 million in potential earnings due to their 2019 draw, which featured six 3.20pm Sunday games to Round 9.

Those included the club’s Round 8 win over GWS Giants, when only 14,636 supporters turned out to the MCG.

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Kennett took to twitter late last night to bemoan Hawthorn’s fixturing, which he said had cost the club $500,000 to $1 million this year.

He tweeted: “We do not complain! Just suffer in silence. And financially.”

The Hawks could dip below an average 30,000 attendance mark at home this season for the first time since 2006. A crowd of 31,895 braved heavy rain to watch the Hawks against West Coast today.

Reeves denied it was “a cop out” to blame the fixture for a drop off in crowd numbers this year, with Hawthorn battling to stay in finals contention.

Hawthorn huddles up before a small crowd before its clash against West Coast. Picture: Mark Stewart

“We get the emails, we get the phone calls and we get the letters from our members, complaining about that time,” he said.

“3.20pm on a Sunday afternoon in Melbourne against an interstate lower-drawing opposition is about the worst timeslot you can get.

“We understand we can’t play in the best timeslot every week but those sort of ones don’t help at all.

“We think there’s probably a better time for that game.

“That game would actually be a good game for one of our four in Tasmania. We’d get the sort of 13,000-14,000 that we do in Tasmania.”

In three Sunday 3.20pm games at the MCG this season, the Hawks have attracted an average of 30,059.

Reeves agreed the club’s supporters “have been very spoiled” and were being “more picky” after their era of success under Alastair Clarkson.

“Our membership will break the record again this year, which is good. So, people are supporting the club,” he said on SEN.

“But deciding, I think, and voting with their feet not to turn up to timeslots that don’t suit.”

He said the club was “relentless” in its efforts to attract people to matches.

“We actually can’t chain them to the car and bring them, but we actually do everything we possibly can to encourage them,” he said.

Sadly the AFL decide where games ate played not the Clubs. Let alone the days and times we play. The AFL's schedule, deliberate, has cost Hawthorn between $500 000 and $1m this year. We do not complain! Just suffer in silence! And financially.

— Jeff Kennett (@jeff_kennett) June 28, 2019

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Flagging on-field performances have also cost the Hawks, but the club has not given up on making finals this season as it prepares for a make-or-break fortnight against grand finalists West Coast and Collingwood at the MCG.

Former Port Adelaide midfielder Kane Cornes blasted Hawks fans for dropping off the team.

“This is the Hawthorn team who claims to have 80,000 members, who has played in 10 out of the last 12 finals fixtures and has won four flags since 2008,” Cornes said on SEN.

“Hawthorn fans, where are you? Do you only come out when you win?

“The team can do no more. You have the best coach in the competition, you’ve played in 10 out of the last 12 finals series and you are blaming a bad draw on a lack of crowd?

“You mob, in the win against the Giants, had 14,000 people at the MCG on a fine day and you claim to have 80,000 members.

“Hawthorn fans, you should hang your heads in shame.”

Despite making 10 of the past 12 finals series, the Hawks were delivered a dud draw including only one Friday night game and a host of Sunday afternoon matches including low-drawing clashes against GWS Giants (Round 8) at the MCG and Gold Coast (Round 22) at Marvel Stadium.

The Hawks will deliver their 23rd-straight profit this year despite the revenue loss.

Kennett earlier blasted the AFL for the unkind draw this year, which “did not entirely respect our great club and what it has done for the AFL”.

But Alastair Clarkson’s men have fallen outside the eight this year off the back of one of the most successful periods in the game’s history, winning four flags between 2008-2015.

The Hawks played the oldest team in the competition (average 26 years and 343 days) in the loss to Sydney Swans last weekend and need to win as many as seven of their last nine matches to avoid missing finals for only the third time in 13 years.

Hawthorn players fly for a mark against West Coast on Saturday in front of a small crowd. Picture: Mark Stewart.

The Hawks will enter the toughest month of their fixture with upcoming clashes against Collingwood, West Coast, an improved Fremantle and top-placed Geelong.

While the blockbuster against Collingwood could deliver a 60,000-strong crowd in their only home Friday night game of the season, attendances have declined in recent years.

The Hawks drew an average 39,976 fans to home and away games in its 2008 premiership year, and 38,626 in 2015, including four games a season in Launceston.

But that figure has dropped to an average 30,675 over the first six rounds this season.

And after drawing only 14,636 to its Round 8 win over GWS Giants — Hawthorn’s lowest MCG crowd in 15 years — an even smaller figure would be forecast for the Sunday afternoon Round 22 clash against cellar dweller Gold Coast.

However, the clash against Gold Coast is tipped to act as a potential farewell and celebratory send-off for a bunch of Hawthorn’s beloved premiership heroes.

The Hawks will make tough calls on the futures of veteran stars Shaun Burgoyne (36), Jarryd Roughead (32), Paul Puopolo (31), Grant Birchall (31) and James Frawley (30).

Defender Tim Mohr (30) will be delisted and wingman Isaac Smith (30) has been linked to a move to the Western Bulldogs, despite saying he wants to stay.