On Tuesday, Nathan Buckley announced that Jaidyn Stephenson and Sam Murray would make their debuts in the Black and White stripes in Saturday night’s round one clash with Hawthorn at the MCG.

This fact made us at Collingwood Media ponder the many others have played their first games for the Pies against Hawthorn in round one in previous years.

You see, Collingwood and Hawthorn have met on numerous occasions in round one in the past three decades.

Indeed, the teams met in round one each in season between 1998 and 2001, then again in 2012, which was Buckley’s first game as Pies coach.

Here’s a summary of Collingwood firsts against Hawthorn in round one over the past 30 years.

Round One, 1989: Collingwood 13.15 (93) def Hawthorn 11.17 (83) at Waverley Park
Colin Alexander (10 disposals, one goal) was the sole debutant for the Pies as they pulled off an upset win over the Hawks. Alexander played 24 games for Collingwood before heading to the Brisbane Bears in 1992 where he played another five games. Hawthorn won the flag that year, while the Magpies lost the elimination final to Melbourne.



The first match of the 1989 season was crafty forward Doug Barwick's 99th.

Round One, 1998: Collingwood 18.15 (123) def Hawthorn 12.12 (84) at the MCG
Shannon Gibson (six disposals) and Frankie Raso (no disposals) were the Magpies’ debutants in an impressive Saturday afternoon win over the Hawks. The two teams ended up 13th and 14th on the ladder at the end of the season, while Gibson and Raso played a total of just 22 games for Collingwood.



Shannon Gibson played the first of his three games for Collingwood against Hawthorn in round one, 1998. Ironically, he had been traded from Hawthorn only months prior.

Round One, 1999: Collingwood 8.11 (59) def by Hawthorn 10.14 (74) at the MCG
Nick Davis (eight disposals, one goal), Glenn Freeborn (10 disposals), Paul Licuria (14 disposals), Tyson Lane (12 disposals, two goals), Ricky Olarenshaw (20 disposals), Cameron Venables (two disposals and the honour of being the 1000th man to play a VFL/AFL game for Collingwood) pulled on the black and white stripes for the first time in a Sunday afternoon clash at the ’G. In Tony Shaw’s last season as coach, the Magpies took home the wooden spoon, while the Hawks finished ninth.



Nathan Buckley leads the Magpies through their warm up ahead of his first official match as club captain in round one, 1999. To his immediate right is debutant Nick Davis.

Round One, 2000: Collingwood 20.20 (140) def Hawthorn
In a game played on Victoria’s Labour Day public holiday in mid-March (the season was brought forward to accommodate the Sydney Olympics), Mick Malthouse made a flying start to what would be a 12-year coaching career at the Pies by guiding his men to a nine-goal win. Damien Adkins (22 disposals, two goals), Leon Davis (five disposals), Josh Fraser (12 disposals, 12 hitouts), Ben Johnson (18 disposals, three goals), Shane O’Bree (26 disposals, one goal) and Andrew Ukovic (20 disposals) played their first games for Collingwood in a victory that proved to be something of a poor guide for the season to come. The Magpies ended up finishing second-last, while Hawthorn made the finals.



The start of something big: Josh Fraser, the first selection in the 1999 National Draft, battles with Hawthorn veteran Paul Salmon in the opening round of the 2000 season.

Round One, 2001: Collingwood 11.15 (81) def. by Hawthorn 13.7 (85) at the MCG
Played on another scorching hot afternoon in May, inaccuracy saw Collingwood fall just four points short in a seesawing affair. A busy off-season at the trade table meant several players made their club debuts, including Jarrod Molloy (three goals and 20 disposals), Chad Rintoul (21 disposals), Shane Wakelin (11 disposals) and Carl Steinfort (15 disposals). For Molloy, it was the start of a career-best season that saw him finish runner up in the Copeland Trophy. The match also marked the league debut of Ryan Lonie, who replaced the injured James Clement at the eleventh hour. He would have 12 disposals and play in all bar one of the 21 games that followed. The match was also notable for Rhyce Shaw, who would not appear at senior level for another two years.



Jarrod Molloy and Shane Wakelin were among the first-time Magpies in the opening round of the 2001 season.

Round One, 2012: Collingwood 16.19 (115) def by Hawthorn 20.17 (137) at the MCG
In Nathan Buckley’s first game as coach, the two teams put on a brilliant display of attacking footy before a Friday night crowd of almost 80,000, with the Hawks pulling away late to win by 22 points. Jackson Paine (six disposals, one goal), Paul Seedsman (five disposals) and Peter Yagmoor (no disposals) debuted for Pies. Paine and Yagmoor played a total of eight games for Collingwood, while Seedsman’s tally reached 49 before he was traded to Adelaide. Both the Hawks and Pies were beaten by the Sydney Swans in the finals.



Jackson Paine celebrates a goal on debut against Hawthorn in round one, 2012.