Adelaide and Hawthorn have met 34 times. The Hawks hold the advantage 18-16.
The biggest crowd in Adelaide for a Crows v Hawks game was 46,689 at Football Park in Round Six, 1993. Can we beat that on Friday night?
The match will be Adelaide’s one and only Friday night fixture this season.
The last two games between the Crows and Hawks have been decided by a total of 16 points.
The blockbuster game promises to be high scoring. Hawthorn is the highest-scoring team in the competition, averaging 17.3 goals per game, while the Crows rank fourth with an average of 13.5 goals a game. The Hawks are also the most efficient, kicking goals from 30 per cent of their entries inside forward 50m.
The Hawks (second) and Crows (fourth) are also top four in the League for inside 50ms.
In-form Crow Eddie Betts will play his 200th AFL game on Friday night. See Eddie’s career stats
Fans will see two of the best small forwards in the competition, Betts and Hawks sharpshooter Luke Breust, go head to head. Breust (sixth) and Betts (10th) are both top 10 in goals and top four in score assists.
Breust is second in Hawthorn’s goalkicking with 39, while Betts tops the goalkicking at Adelaide (33). Jarryd Roughead (40 goals) remains Hawthorn’s most-used target inside 50m, just ahead of former Crow Jack Gunston and Breust. All three Hawks are ranked top 10 in the AFL for scoreboard impact according to Champion Data.
The Hawks are the highest-possession team in the AFL, averaging 395.9 disposals per game. They rank No.2 in short kicks, effective kicks and contested possessions.
Hawthorn is the third-best clearance team, averaging 41.3 clearances a game.
The Crows are the best contested-marking side in the AFL, averaging 11.3 per game.
Patrick Dangerfield picked up three Brownlow Medal votes against Hawthorn in Round Six last season. Dangerfield collected 35 possessions, nine clearances and two goals.
Adelaide’s first-ever AFL game was against Hawthorn on a Friday night (March 22, 1993).
Andy Otten (Round 12, 2008), Rory Sloane (Round 20, 2009), Brodie Smith (Round One, 2011) and Sam Kerridge (Round Three, 2012) all made their AFL debuts against Hawthorn.
Wingman Isaac Smith is a key playmaker for Hawthorn. Smith has gained more metres than any other Hawk (6792) this season – top 10 in the AFL. Another Smith, Brodie, leads the way for Adelaide (8321) to be second overall.
The Crows and Hawks are bottom two in the League for tackles per game. Adelaide averages 61.6 while Hawthorn lays an average of 60.6 tackles per match.
Hawthorn is the most accurate team, converting 66.9 per cent of its scoring opportunities. The Crows have an accuracy of 56.7 per cent.
