Launceston is the birthplace of cricketing greats Ricky Ponting and David Boon, swimming world champion Ariarne Titmus, journalist Ray Martin, cyclist Richie Porte, motor racing driver Marcus Ambrose and actor Simon Baker.

Settled by the Europeans in 1806, named after a UK town of the same name in Cornwall, and home to 76,849 people according to the latest census, it is famous for three big firsts – it was the first city in the southern hemisphere where anaesthesia was used, and is the first Australian city to have hydroelectricity and underground sewers.

And if Damien Hardwick has his way, on Saturday afternoon it will be the venue for the Gold Coast SUNS’ first win in Tasmania.

In eight trips across the Tasman to the Apple Isle the SUNS are 0‑8. They are 0‑6 against Hawthorn in Launceston, and 0‑2 against North Melbourne in Hobart.

Saturday’s big Round 7 game against third‑placed Hawthorn at Launceston’s UTAS Stadium at 12.30pm will be a big challenge and a big opportunity for the fourth‑placed SUNS. And a new experience for most.

The combined experience of the entire SUNS’ playing list at UTAS Stadium is 14 games split across 11 players – Touk Miller (4), Jarrod Witts and Lachie Weller (2), Noah Anderson, Mac Andrew, Sam Collins, Matt Rowell, Alex Davies and Ben Long (1). And that includes games by Weller and Long for Fremantle and St Kilda.

Even Hardwick has never coached at UTAS Stadium in 343 games, although he did enjoy a 3‑0 record there as a player with Port Adelaide in 2002‑04.

In one of the more unlikely statistics, the only SUNS player to have kicked a goal or polled in the Brownlow Medal in red and yellow at UTAS Stadium is ruckman Witts. That was in a seven‑point loss to Hawthorn in 2022, when he had 14 possessions, one goal and 44 hit‑outs for three votes.

But there are plenty of reasons to think that such statistics are nothing more than fodder for a game preview. Because the SUNS have won five of their last six games against the Hawks, including the last three.

That their only loss in that streak was at UTAS Stadium in 2022, when Witts had his big day out, counter‑balances that a little, as does the fact that Hawthorn are on a 10‑game winning streak at the venue, which has hosted 96 AFL games since 2001.

But all that is largely immaterial to the SUNS given that only six members of the 2022 losing side will return this week – Anderson, Andrew, Collins, Miller, Rowell and Witts.

The SUNS, set to field the powerhouse midfield trio of Anderson, Rowell and Christian Petracca together for the first time, will take on a Hawks outfit that has posted five wins on the trot after a loss to GWS in Sydney in Opening Round.

They’ve had three wins at the MCG against Essendon (62 points), Sydney (17 points) and Geelong (one point), beat Adelaide by 40 points at Adelaide Oval in Gather Round and Port Adelaide by three points at Marvel Stadium last week.

Statistically, the SUNS scouting report will tell them there are three major dangers in front of goal for the Hawks – Jack Gunston (19 goals) and Nick Watson (16 goals), who rank second and sixth in League goal‑kicking this year, and Mitch Lewis (10 goals), who is on the comeback trail after a long injury lay‑off.

Watson is coming off a career‑best five goals in his 49th game last week against Port, while 34‑year‑old Gunston, All‑Australian and Hawthorn best and fairest winner in his 16th season last year, will return from a one‑week injury lay‑off.

Jai Newcombe, who will skipper the Hawks solo in the absence of suspended co‑captain James Sicily, has been the club’s No.1 ball‑winner, averaging 25.8 possessions per game. Jarman Impey (22.5ppg), Connor Macdonald (21.3), Josh Ward (21.3) and Jack Ginnivan (21.0) are next best.

Leading vote‑getters for Hawthorn in the AFL Coach’s Player of the Year Award have been Newcombe (20), Watson (20), key defender Tom Barrass (15), Gunston (13), Ginnivan (12) and Impey (10).

Hawthorn are the No.3 ranked side in the League offensively, averaging 104 points per game, and are No.9 defensively, conceding 88.0ppg, while Gold Coast boast the No.2 offence at 110.0ppg and the No.8 defence at 86.7ppg.