Hawthorn is only three games into its 2026 season, yet suddenly faces a “weird” 18-day break leading into Easter Monday.

Not that they’re complaining about it. In fact, the Hawks are “ecstatic” about it.

Every club that played in Opening Round gets a bye between rounds two and four in a fixture quirk, with Sydney heading into its own 16-day break.

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The fixture has very much been a point of discussion over the past week after Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir criticised the “advantage” for clubs that played in Opening Round coming up against a fresh but less battle hardened opponent.

But speaking after his side’s win over Sydney on Thursday night, Hawks coach Sam Mitchell embraced the opportunity to play in prime time fixtures ahead of next month’s Easter Monday blockbuster against rivals Geelong.

“It’s a long break for us, but I love Thursday night footy … to be able to have the responsibility of that and have the responsibility of Easter Monday, we love both of those fixtures,” Mitchell told reporters.

“We get a bit of a chance to reassess to go into a couple of days off for our players. We’ll go watch the Box Hill game tomorrow. We’ll try and improve a couple of things.

“We’ll be ready for Easter Monday.”

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The Hawks have now tied together consecutive wins after their season-opening beatdown from GWS to improve to 2-1.

And aside from Will Day’s shoulder injury set to sideline the star midfielder for multiple months, Mitchell’s side is in good health.

Combined with Hawthorn having played a pre-season intraclub and two practice games, it sees its Round 3 bye as the “perfect” lead into the annual Easter Monday blockbuster.

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“It certainly is weird. But the Hawks aren’t complaining about an 18-day break leading into Easter Monday – they are absolutely ecstatic about it,” Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph said post-match on Fox Footy.

“It’ll give some time to ease some sore bodies there – notably Nick Watson (corked glute).

“(Rob) McCartney says the eyes of Peter Burge’s, the club’s fitness boss, absolutely lit up when he realised they had a Round 3 bye.

“(He said) we had an intraclub, a couple of (practice) games, then we have those three games – six contests — and now we get a bye. So it gives them a perfect lead in.

“They’ll have a couple of days off and then some really hard training sessions there.

“The positive is, apart from Will Day… there is no other player on their injury list among their best 23. It’s a fantastic launching pad at 2-1.

“They get to lick their wounds, they get to train in the next couple of weeks and then they lead in against Geelong.”

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Melbourne legend Garry Lyon was earlier this week critical of the unusual lay-off.

“When you want to kick a season off and you momentum and you decide to play in Opening Round, which is always going to polarise, at the very least you’ve got to get on a roll,” he said on AFL 360.

“The Hawks have 18 days off until Easter Monday, so no momentum for them … that’s nearly three weeks of footy you’re not going to see the Hawthorn footy club play. What is that about?

“And Carlton, who are of great interest and infatuation and stirred the emotions of everyone, they’re going to have 17 days off.

“This is the first of eight byes throughout the course of the season, this isn’t a three-week situation.

“Three of those four teams this weekend are preliminary finalists (from last year) — the teams you want to generate the feeling, the emotion and spirit and drag the people out to games.

“It doesn’t sit right.”