Hawthorn and Kuwarna are set for another Launceston finish on Thursday night, with Izak Rankine back in the frame for a rivalry that has already produced three classics at UTAS Stadium. The Round 11 match comes during the second week of Sir Doug Nicholls Round, a celebration of Indigenous players and culture.
The clubs have made a habit of drama in Tasmania. Hawthorn won the 2025 and 2021 meetings at UTAS Stadium, while Kuwarna claimed a famous Launceston victory in 2023, 18 years after its previous win at the venue. That makes this one of the most familiar interstate trips in Kuwarna’s calendar, and one that has rarely been straightforward.
The 2021 game is still remembered for the way it flipped. Kuwarna was 20 points down late in the first term before Riley Thilthorpe, on debut, kicked five goals on Anzac Day. Kuwarna then scored 15 goals without a miss and stretched the lead to 32 points early in the third quarter, only for Hawthorn to storm home. The Hawks kicked the last five goals and then added behinds to edge into the lead.
Two years later, the pendulum swung again. Kuwarna trailed by nine points with 3.30 minutes left before Rankine curled a goal from the boundary line. Darcy Fogarty then took a mark in the same pocket with less than two minutes remaining and nailed the match-winner from a tight angle. It was the sort of ending that turned a routine interstate trip into a highlight reel.
That set up the 2025 rematch, which stayed tight but strange for different reasons. Kuwarna led by 15 points at half-time after Ben Keays kicked two goals in his 150th AFL game, but the second half was defined by 13 consecutive behinds between the teams. Kuwarna did not add another goal until late, when Rankine’s work from a forward stoppage regained the lead. Hawthorn’s Jai Newcombe then ran into an open goal to kick what proved to be the winner with four minutes left.
Kuwarna first went to Tasmania for an AFL game in 2001 and has since played eight games in Launceston, seven against Hawthorn and one against St Kilda. It has played four games in Hobart, all against North Melbourne. The pattern has made Launceston a recurring battleground for these two clubs, and the recent history explains why Thursday night carries more weight than a standard Round 11 fixture.
For Kuwarna, the challenge is obvious: find a way to finish one of these games before Hawthorn does. For Hawthorn, the comfort comes from knowing the venue has often delivered a familiar result. Either way, the latest chapter in this Tasmania rivalry is likely to be decided late, as the last three meetings have taught both clubs to expect.
The game will be shown live on Channel 7 Adelaide, Fox Footy and Kayo from 7pm ACST.
