Greatest Grand Final

Which Hawthorn premiership is the greatest?

  • 1961 (versus Footscray)

    Votes: 1 1.6%
  • 1971 (versus St Kilda)

    Votes: 2 3.1%
  • 1976 (versus North Melbourne)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1978 (versus North Melbourne)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1983 (versus Essendon)

    Votes: 1 1.6%
  • 1986 (versus Carlton)

    Votes: 1 1.6%
  • 1988 (versus Melbourne)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1989 (versus Geelong)

    Votes: 12 18.8%
  • 1991 (versus West Coast Eagles)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2008 (versus Geelong)

    Votes: 19 29.7%
  • 2013 (versus Fremantle)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2014 (versus Sydney)

    Votes: 27 42.2%
  • Vote here if you rate a grand final loss greater than a premiership (eg., 2012 grand final)

    Votes: 1 1.6%

  • Total voters
    64
  • Poll closed .
One important point: the Grand Final team was our strongest team for the year

The "experts" didn't get it, but after a whole season of injuries, we finally got everyone back at the right time. Cyril was the icing on the cake.

I was confident we could win, I didn't predict the margin. I think the margin was a result of the whole team playing with the same thought: "we need to teach these pretenders a damn lesson!"
 
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MrFujiMoto

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89 is the best. We dominated the first half and ran out of fit men. 2 guys on the field that required serious medical treatment and one of them was not far from death. The 1st half was pure football poetry with Curran, Morrisey, Dermie, Dunstall, Pritchard and even Whitman all running rampant. The second half was a gladiatorial war with Dipper and Dermie playing it out severely injured.

This year was great because of the fact that we had been written off by ALL. That has happened before but this time they were so confident and none of it made any sense. They were confident on the Swans because of their scoring ability, yet we were the highest scoring side all year by 5 country miles. They were so blinded be the prelim that they threw all logic out of the window.
 

Crock

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Billy Brownless the next morning on Sunday FS asked the question "How did we all (experts) get sucked in?". It is because it was a media fueled hype for 3 weeks leading up to the GF. Up until R23 everyone was saying how we have the best depth, balance, skills, scoring, etc and we could not be matched. 3 weeks later it's all Shitney and how great they are (only finished 1st bacause Budwah saved their ass a few times).


Worked in our favour!

Of the last 4 premierships weve won, in 3 of them we were underdogs!
 
Watching all the Grand Finals atm... up to 1989. It's interesting watching our progression as a club and how we've evolved from 1961.

Addendum: Geez, Peter Cameron had a real problem with Dipper. Absolutely cricified him in the 1988 Grannie.
 

seysearles

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Not enough love for 91.

Went to Perth and won on the minor premier's(3 games clear and 162%) dung heap.

Played the WA state side effectively.

Written off as too old, too slow.

Came away emphatically and stamped that team as great. 3 flags in 4 years.(plus it makes that era better than Geelong's current and only one)

I loved 1991. I was 14 and it was the first flag that I think I really appreciated. I think i was a bit to young for 86, 88 and 89 and the fact that we missed the granny in 1990 was a reality check that it doesn't just happen every season. I taped it on the VCR and must have watched it 40 times over and over again alone in my room like an angsty teenager. The other great thing about 1991 of course is that it was "our last premiership" for a total of 17yrs so it got referred back to probably more that any other flag in our history (the longest period between flag besides that one is 10yrs from 1961 to 1971).
 
One thing I've noticed about the 1991 Grand Final was the atrocious umpiring. Seriously bad. Marks that weren't paid, inconsistencies in the 'throwing the ball' rule, and some of those 50m penalties... just wow. Sheahan and Russo, that was just crap. I hope as a consequence you never umpired another Grannie.

Oh, and 1989, some things I've finally noted - Greg Dear played quite a good game around the ground even though he was beaten at centre bounces, Greg Madigan wasn't the complete spud I thought he was in this game, and Peter Curran - he was determined in that last centre bounce to ensure the ball wasn't going to get out cheaply... he was bottling it up like his life depended on it.
 
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I suggest you watch it again. And if you still can't see it, then again, and again, and again.......... Good excuse I reckon.

Not being smart, I just love watching it over and over and over and over............. :)

Billy Brownless the next morning on Sunday FS asked the question "How did we all (experts) get sucked in?". It is because it was a media fueled hype for 3 weeks leading up to the GF. Up until R23 everyone was saying how we have the best depth, balance, skills, scoring, etc and we could not be matched. 3 weeks later it's all Shitney and how great they are (only finished 1st bacause Budwah saved their ass a few times).

Pure football people who really know how the game is played are idiots for not giving Hawks a chance. Everyone bought into the Purple Haze last year but were still realistic in terms of the capability of the teams playing. This time it was almost as if Syd were playing off with Brisbane. We were even more of an underdog than in 2008. Incredible that this happened.

At the end of the day I would say a vast majority of our fans knew how good we are and what we were capable of. Hopefully my fellow Hawks fans who punted went "ching ching ching" all the way to the bank from the bookies. I just missed the quater quadie for margin at half time. Spewing.

Ps. We were the best team all year. Only a handfull of games at full strength yet still same games won as Syd, Geel. Imagine we had fewer injuries?

Agree, I was never worried about this game, and as I've said many times, I can't understand how we didn't start favourites. I have a feeling next year we will have a repeat, but our opposition could well be Port, and don't expect the media to be any different. They will be all over the teal, as they were with the purple haze and the swans.
 
Speaking of the media being all over a team. In the 80s there was a particular commentator that never lost faith in the hawks ability to win regardless of the hype against them. Peter McKenna every year would come out with the same chant. "I know people say they're too old and too slow, but you never ever write this Hawthorn side off."
 

Great 2008

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89 is the best. We dominated the first half and ran out of fit men. 2 guys on the field that required serious medical treatment and one of them was not far from death. The 1st half was pure football poetry with Curran, Morrisey, Dermie, Dunstall, Pritchard and even Whitman all running rampant. The second half was a gladiatorial war with Dipper and Dermie playing it out severely injured.

This year was great because of the fact that we had been written off by ALL. That has happened before but this time they were so confident and none of it made any sense. They were confident on the Swans because of their scoring ability, yet we were the highest scoring side all year by 5 country miles. They were so blinded be the prelim that they threw all logic out of the window.


Watched this game a month or two back. Had forgotten how brutal it was. The Cats played the man all day. If that game was played this year they would have had half their side rubbed out for the first 6 weeks the following season. Also, Platten was gone really early with concussion (was a snipe as well). Great win it was. I picked 2008 though for purely personal reasons after having had a couple of shitty years.
 

Cynic

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Just rewatched the 2008 GF and jeez did we play well. On paper Geelong had us comprehensively covered but as a team we just smashed them structurally. Being such large underdogs and with the injuries to Croad & Young the win really was utterly mammoth.

Other points I took away was Ellis could player, Young was the most over rated player out there (Other than Mooney) and if we hadn't traded Renouf for Hill he should've handed his medal back.
 
Complete and utter underdog
images

2008
 
I liked 1986 because, well the end of 1985 wasn't pretty. The Club did a bit of soul searching and came out determined to make amends. Carlton has a pretty good side that season and did beat us in the Semi a fortnight before the GF. They were rightly favourites on GF day (just), yet I don't recall being overawed by them. I wasn't convinced we'd lose. For me this was Dunstall's breakout match, and he never looked back.

2014, well we did smash the favourite. We have however learnt that sensationalism sells papers. $yds dominance (forget the soft draw, dream injury toll, MRP turning some blind eyes) of 2014 certainly kept some printers in a job. The Hawks just toiled away. Heck, even Redfoo (whatever that is) tipped against us :) From then my desire for a walloping became present.
 

Scissor4life

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It's like asking which is your favourite child ;)

I knew we would win 2013 & 2014 so for me 2008 was the one that filled me with the most joy :)

2014 was just a total laugh throughout the game...judas spoilt the post celebrations in 2013
 
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Let's face it, they were all great. How could they not be?

1961 - nothing more to be said except it was our first, and saw the Hawks arrive as a serious opponent to be reckoned with. It also ushered in a new era placing much more emphasis upon physical fitness. Kennedy's Commandos had brought home the bacon after 36 years in the wilderness. A comment was made, "There will be other flags, but there will never be another first".

1971 - The win that almost wasn't. Trailing by 20 points at 3/4 time, the Hawks fans were in despair. How could this happen to us? We had the great Peter Hudson with a record equaling 150 goals for the season, and the emergence of future greats Leigh Matthews and Peter Knights. Don Scott confirmed his place as one of the VFL's best ruckmen with a great display that day. Bob Keddie's 4 goals was the equal to Stewey Dew's solo performance in the 2008 GF.

1976 - This was the flag that the club cherished most, probably still do. We did it for the little fella, champion Peter Crimmins. The players took the cup to his home to celebrate, 2 days later he left us. The spirit remains with the club to this day. It was also worth remembering it was a match between North Melbourne who had spent a lot of money on big names from interstate versus Hawthorn from sleepy Glenferrie. We had only 1 interstate recruit that day, a very young Rodney Eade from Tassie.

1978 - This is the one Ron Barassi claims North should have won. Never been sure about that, we beat them in the minor round, as well as the 2nd semi final, and at one stage in the final term held an 8 goal lead. For mine, this was the day a bulky Italian by the name of Robert DiPierdomenico spelt warning to the rest of the league with a wonderful display across half back. I also recall Peter Knights copping one at CHB, was moved to FF and took a couple of huge grabs and kicked goals.

1983 - This was the flag that ushered in a whole new era for the Hawks. It was the first of 5 flags from 8 Grand Finals over a 9 season period of dominance. We were well into interstate recruitment, the mercurial Gary Buckenara from Subiaco, Ken Judge, Colin Robertson, etc. Players who had been with the club for 2-3 years such as Ayres, Mew, Kennedy, Greene all began to mature into great players. Matthews, Tuck, Wallace, Knights were still playing great football, Loveridge was filling the major roving role admirably, and a young larrikin red head named Dermie was flowering as a sensational player. Any 83 point win against the Bombers is a great one. The flag was Leigh Matthews' 4th, but his first as captain. Something would have been missing from our history had Lethal not captained at least one premiership team.

1986 - After a disappointing final term in 1984, and seeing Essendon far too good for us in 1985, we had some work to do. Club legends Leigh Matthews and Peter Knights had retired and we needed some young blood to step up. Some big name recruits hadn't worked out as well as we had hoped and although we made the GF in 1985, we had limped into it and the final result of a 78 point loss, despite an 8 goal effort from the Kid, came as little surprise to anyone.

We appointed a 32 year old captain, was this a good choice? However, we had recruited a shaggy haired rover from SA, and some fat kid from Queensland had looked sort of "okay" in patches in 1985. We finally found a place for Langford ... full back. After a loss in the 2nd semi final, Allan Jeans shuffled the team around and came up with winners all over the field. After being belted by Doull in the 2nd semi, Dunstall took him apart with 6 goals and signaled promises of things to come. Ayres winning a Norm Smith Medal on the Wing, Wallace lined up in the back pocket, amongst other changes. It was a Jeans master stroke. The Hawks were back!!

1988 - The Hawks' most dominant season since 1971 and took all before us through the finals. Melbourne drew the short straw as the team who would get belted to the tune of 96 points. Arguably the most dominant Hawthorn team in our proud history. We were a champion team, but also a team of champions. Looking at that team on paper has me shaking my head in disbelief how we were able to assemble so many great players in one team at the same time. Dunstall, Abbott and Brereton booted 18 goals between them in the GF, and seemed as routine as just another day in the office for the Hawks. Alan Joyce was caretaker coach in the absence of Allan Jeans due to ill health.

1989 - Another significant moment, the elusive back-to-back flags were ours. After another dominant minor round, we spied another flag as we demolished Essendon in the 2nd Semi at Waverley. However, Geelong had given prior warning that they could take it up to the Hawks with an incredible shoot out in round 6. The Grand Final didn't just start, it exploded with Yeates dropping Brereton at the start, and countless other Hawks being dropped in behind the play incidents, Blight's plan to soften the Hawks up. He admits now, he made a mistake with this tactic. I will never forget Brereton's mark only moments after being dragged to the goal square spewing his guts up. Inspiring.

We raced to a 6 goal lead at 1/4 time and maintained this lead until 3/4 time. The physical punishment absorbed by players, especially Brereton and Dipper took its toll, and with Platten and Ayres finished for the day, the Cats came at us hard, courtesy of a 9 goal super performance of former Hawk Gary Ablett. The final siren with us only 6 points in the lead and flailing badly was the sweetest sound of all. The Hawks had won a classic, the greatest Grand Final of them all, and one of the greatest moments in the history of the Hawthorn Football Club.

1991 - Beaten by West Coast in round 7 by 82 points, Denis Cometti arrogantly proclaimed, "The Hawks took a long hard look at their future today and it isn't pretty". 4 months later, the final siren blew at Waverly signifying the Hawks had belted the West Coast Eagles by 53 points and taken our 9th flag in 30 years. Due to MCG renovations, the game was played at Waverley Park, ironically our newly adopted home ground. This was, once again a proud moment for the Hawthorn Football Club as they had once again triumphed over misfortune with a succession of serious injuries to key player throughout the season.

Prior to the match, Alan Joyce wrote on the board that Dunstall (6 goals) and Brereton (4 goals) had to create problems in West Coast's defence, and that is precisely what happened. Stephen Lawrence was superb in ruck, and Paul Dear took out the Norm Smith with a dominant display. As Tucky held aloft the cup, his 4th time in 6 seasons as captain, we didn't realize then that we were saying goodbye to a great champion. 426 games, 7 flags. Tucky would think, "not bad". Too old, too slow .... Too bloody good!!

2008 - It is well documented the major events the Hawks faced in our journey towards the 2008 GF. The club close to extinction in 1996, voting against the merger, showing signs of improvement in 2001, then falling away again in the mid 2000s. What was to be our future? It was 17 years from our last success, had Denis Cometti been right after all? However, there was one event, above all other, which would secure the club's fate. An inspired decision to appoint Al Clarkson as coach of the Hawthorn FC. We bottomed out at precisely at the right time and managed to draft some incredible talent, Roughead, Franklin, Lewis, Birchall, Rioli, just to name a few to add to the likes of Hodge, Mitchell, Crawford, etc. The team was taking shape. One other significant decision, Clarkson's insistence that we pick up overweight former Port Adelaide premiership player Stewart Dew. Thank goodness the match committee went along with it.

Geelong was the dominant team all year, but the Hawks their equal in the final series. The game began with Stokes trying out Hodgey's supposed crook ribs, with Hodgey just laughing at him. That 5 minutes burst from Dew late in the third term sends chills up and down my spine every time I think about it. Rioli's tackle on the wing and the sight of Crawford's jubilation as the final siren sounded, placing the icing on a brilliant 308 game career as my favourite memories. One goal in particular when Williams and Dew teamed together, knocking the ball to each other as 5 Geelong defenders floundered around them was just plain incredible. A wonderful day.

2013 - It had been 5 years since our last flag. Five years!!! We had this wonderful list and only one flag to show for it. We'd been to the show in 2012 but were beaten favourites at the hands of the Swans. 2013 success was not only desirable, it was essential. Failure to secure the flag simply was not an option. All season long, there was tension as well as a quiet confidence we could do it. We had some wonderful new players, Gibson, Lake, Burgoyne, Stratton, Smith, Shiels, Gunston, Breust, Puopolo and Hill, just to name a few.

Smashing the previous season's premier in the Qualifying Final was a good start, but then the Preliminary Final, my most detested game of the season. You could either win a spot in the big one, or your season was over. So close and yet so far. To make matters worse, we were playing our nemesis Geelong. When that siren rang and we were 5 points ahead, I think that was really our Grand Final. All the talk of purple haze and manic pressure was just that, talk. The boys quietly did the job and won our 11th flag. I went weak at the knees when the siren rang, it meant so much to me, as I'm sure it did to all Hawks fans. Another pivotal moment in our history.

2014 - As in 1991, a season in which the Hawks triumphed over adversity, we didn't even have our coach at one point in time. Had we lost in 2013, I'm not sure we would have even been in the 2014 GF. Two successive losses may have seen a bit of a cleanout, but we charged into the season as reigning premiers should. After our usual early season loss to the Cats, we began racking up the wins and setting up the season. Somebody was missing ... who was it? Ah well, it will come to me. Whoever it was, it didn't seem to worry us much, as a matter of fact, we became a better team. New recruits McEvoy and Spangher really made their mark on the team with valuable contributions. Players such as Smith and Hill were getting better, and Duryea was really turning into a real player.

Then came the cherry on top of the pie. Will Langford, the X-factor we had been looking for. Not since the debut of Brereton in 1982 had I seen a young player have such an effect on the team. The puzzle was complete, and on to meet the much fancied Sydney in the GF. I've said enough about this game, it was precise and brilliant, they way the Hawks took Sydney apart, piece by piece. As Bruce says, it was our masterpiece, we had never been better than this. Enduring memory? Luke Hodge kissing Lance Franklin as if to say, "You're still my mate, but I'm so glad we beat you. Take that".

12 FLAGS ........ and counting :)

Well, I enjoyed my little trip down memory lane, I hope others enjoyed reading it.
 
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1989 - Another significant moment, the elusive back-to-back flags were ours. After another dominant minor round, we spied another flag as we demolished Essendon in the 2nd Semi at Waverley. However, Geelong had given prior warning that they could take it up to the Hawks with an incredible shoot out in round 6. The Grand Final didn't just start, it exploded with Yeates dropping Brereton at the start, and countless other Hawks being dropped in behind the play incidents, Blight's plan to soften the Hawks up. He admits now, he made a mistake with this tactic. Alan Joyce was caretaker coach in the absence of Allan Jeans due to ill health. I will never forget Brereton's mark only moments after being dragged to the goal square spewing his guts up. Inspiring.

Great read, but one little tweak needs to be made - Alan Joyce was caretaker coach in 1988, Jeansy returned for the 1989 season.
 
I don't know where to put this whinge, so I'm putting it here. Having watched all our Grand Finals recently, I wanna smash the living crap out of whoever was the director of Seven Sport in the 80s and 90s. Sure there are a number of reasons why anyone would want to do that when you watch the telecasts, but seriously, when the captain and the coach are about to lift the holy grail over their heads, you DON'T cut to the crowd for their reaction while they're doing it. Ffs, it's the key moment of the entire season and the camera pans to the cheer squad to see if they'll cheer? Holy crap, was Channel Seven headed up by kindergarten kids at the time? In terms of sheer stupidity, it's on the same scale as Jetta pushing Hodge in the Grannie in some strange delusional show of strength that he could actually take it up to him. If memory serves, the statisticians felt sorry for him and included the push as one of two touches Jetta had for the game.
 
I don't know where to put this whinge, so I'm putting it here. Having watched all our Grand Finals recently, I wanna smash the living crap out of whoever was the director of Seven Sport in the 80s and 90s. Sure there are a number of reasons why anyone would want to do that when you watch the telecasts, but seriously, when the captain and the coach are about to lift the holy grail over their heads, you DON'T cut to the crowd for their reaction while they're doing it. Ffs, it's the key moment of the entire season and the camera pans to the cheer squad to see if they'll cheer? Holy crap, was Channel Seven headed up by kindergarten kids at the time? In terms of sheer stupidity, it's on the same scale as Jetta pushing Hodge in the Grannie in some strange delusional show of strength that he could actually take it up to him. If memory serves, the statisticians felt sorry for him and included the push as one of two touches Jetta had for the game.

You will sleep better tonight after getting this off your chest Isaac;)

PS you are spot on:thumbsu:
 

Bikefreak

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I think we will look back on the achievements, abilities and qualities of the current crop of "senior stars" once they have retired and they take their place in the clubs history line. Perhaps only then will it be completely evident just how high quality these blokes are as players and people.
 
I think we will look back on the achievements, abilities and qualities of the current crop of "senior stars" once they have retired and they take their place in the clubs history line. Perhaps only then will it be completely evident just how high quality these blokes are as players and people.

Totally agree. Even I'm guilty of looking back on our era of the 80s thinking it could never be duplicated, and I consider immortals like Dunstall and Langford won 4 premierships, but a number of current stars have almost caught them. Our current crop may not be as far off our legends of the past as we may like to think. Certainly, stars such as Hodge and Mitch can stand comfortably amongst them, but it'll be interesting where history places the Birchalls and Riolis of this world among the greatest of all time...
 
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