Dermott Brereton: how do opposition supporters remember him?

[Hoop1888]

That's actually one of my favourite clips. Especially because of the total lack of remonstration from any Hawthorn player afterwards. The reason? What Ablett did then was completely fine then. You had Ayres and Langford and others, hardly shrinking violets. No one looked even remotely perturbed.

It seems like that was all part and parcel of the game back then and the players knew and accepted it. Can only think some folk bring stuff like that up because a player from that era slates a player from this one for doing something that would be considered tiddlywinks and/or it's a player from a club they don't like.

 

[LuckyBounce!]

Remember a Fitzroyv Hawthorn match at the G.Fitzroy leading ,Hawthorn were the top team.Bang ,Darren Kappler BOG at that stage takes a mark, Brereton comes in and "spoils" by knocking him out.Hawthorn got home in a close one. No report, these days 4 weeks easy.Cynical and premeditated.

Similar to a St. Kilda Hawthorn game in 1988. We hadn’t beaten Hawthorn for years and were a rabble then but played really well that day and looked a chance of winning. Brereton knocks out Frawley who had held Dermie pretty well up until then. From there Hawthorn got on top with Derm kicking a few late goals and we lost in a close one too!

 

[Bedi]

This is where media reputation has absolutely dwarfed actual performance.

He was a top player, and produced some massive big games - no doubt at all. But pretending he was just behind Carey is laughable. For consistent week in week out performance Kernahan had Brereton covered by miles. If you don't believe me (and I wouldn't either) just check the records. That's not even including previous CHFs such as Royce Hart and so on.

It was Derm's ability to stand up when it mattered, esp finals, which is at the crux of what i'm alluding to.
As for Steve Kernahan's records, i dont doubt they are impressive. But stats prob dont do Brereton justice in his ability to influence a game. No better example than his hip and shoulder on Van der Haar.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

That's actually one of my favourite clips. Especially because of the total lack of remonstration from any Hawthorn player afterwards. The reason? What Ablett did then was completely fine then. You had Ayres and Langford and others, hardly shrinking violets. No one looked even remotely perturbed.

Ayres got very close to knocking Ablett out early in the game, he was doing his own head hunting for us flying in off the square so he was hardly going to care too much about what Ablett did to Dipper.

 

[Pistol Night]

It was Derm's ability to stand up when it mattered, esp finals, which is at the crux of what i'm alluding to.
As for Steve Kernahan's records, i dont doubt they are impressive. But stats prob dont do Brereton justice in his ability to influence a game. No better example than his hip and shoulder on Van der Haar.

Along with Ricciuto's on Kemp that was brutally beautiful

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

This is where media reputation has absolutely dwarfed actual performance.

He was a top player, and produced some massive big games - no doubt at all. But pretending he was just behind Carey is laughable. For consistent week in week out performance Kernahan had Brereton covered by miles. If you don't believe me (and I wouldn't either) just check the records. That's not even including previous CHFs such as Royce Hart and so on.

That's because they played totally different roles so you can't really compare directly. Sticks wasn't used as an enforcer and battering Ram for his team he was there to kick goals. Dermie was used for both. There's a reason he missed alot more footy than Sticks outside his suspensions it's because he pillaged his body for the betterment of his team. Would have played close to 300 had that not been the case.

 

[ferball]

Obviously a good player but the carry on over the 89 bump is ridiculous. It wasn't that big. See bigger bumps every week 35 plus years later. He put Daisy Williams into retirement 2 weeks earlier and also picked off Van der Haar. Both were pretty average efforts. Pity Merrett was at Brisbane by then, if you know there's someone like him for the opposition you don't do what he did.

Its funny how there were big, mean, tough bastards in some sides that protected their teammates and we don't see anything like that today. Its probably better for the game now to be honest but it certainly gave it some drama and a bit more of a story to what happened on field.

 

[ferball]

Watched an interview of him on Open Mike, seemed like a balls to the wall type of player (from the clips of him playing) Speaks very well and seems like a likeable bloke, but am sure that's also up for debate. Highly amused when Mike asked him if he sent money over to the IRA and noticed he was a guest star on Pugwall. Great head of hair as well.

I remember that. It was a scandal at the time.

 

[sherb]

One of those "mixed emotions" footballers. Great player, but too often a thug as well.................

I mean, what is going through your head when you do something like this? (See below, already mentioned here).

The aspect of this stupidity which isn't discussed is that it was a year that the Swans were still struggling badly - so they could have really used someone of his class and experience (despite him being past his best, although he still wasn't 30 it has to be said) on the field as much as possible.

So what does he turn around and do? Does something braindead pre-season and gets himself rubbed out for 7 games. Sure, that helps a struggling club, having him on the sidelines. Little respect on his part towards his club, it honestly made it seem he was just in Sydney for a bit of a holiday.

 

[Upstart Swan]

...
So what does he turn around and do? Does something braindead pre-season and gets himself rubbed out for 7 games. Sure, that helps a struggling club, having him on the sidelines. Little respect on his part towards his club, it honestly made it seem he was just in Sydney for a bit of a holiday.

He actually got two 7-match suspensions with the Swans. The Tallis head stomp in the pre-season, then breaks Tony Free's jaw during the season. So only played 7 games for us. I remember being excited when he signed, then glad to see the back of him.

On the other hand, I'm one of the few people who enjoyed listening to him commentate. I thought he was pretty insightful a lot of the time

 

[sherb]

He actually got two 7-match suspensions with the Swans. The Tallis head stomp in the pre-season, then breaks Tony Free's jaw during the season. So only played 7 games for us. I remember being excited when he signed, then glad to see the back of him.

On the other hand, I'm one of the few people who enjoyed listening to him commentate. I thought he was pretty insightful a lot of the time

Myself and a Hawthorn supporting mate here in Sydney bought Swans memberships that season and went to watch each game. We were both excited to see him turn out for the Swans too.

I didn't think much of the way Brereton conducted himself that season, as he let the club down badly, and my mate (being a Hawk man) didn't get to see him as much as he would have liked, so he wasn't that happy either.

I don't know why Brereton even bothered going to the Swans. Money maybe, change of scenery - I'd take a lot of convincing that he went there genuinely wanting to help the club improve.

 

[Bedi]

Myself and a Hawthorn supporting mate here in Sydney bought Swans memberships that season and went to watch each game. We were both excited to see him turn out for the Swans too.

I didn't think much of the way Brereton conducted himself that season, as he let the club down badly, and my mate (being a Hawk man) didn't get to see him as much as he would have liked, so he wasn't that happy either.

I don't know why Brereton even bothered going to the Swans. Money maybe, change of scenery - I'd take a lot of convincing that he went there genuinely wanting to help the club improve.

I've never saw him more excited for a win than this. Looks bloody strange in the red and white. Such a shame he left Hawthorn in the circumstances he did.

 

[ferball]

He actually got two 7-match suspensions with the Swans. The Tallis head stomp in the pre-season, then breaks Tony Free's jaw during the season. So only played 7 games for us. I remember being excited when he signed, then glad to see the back of him.

On the other hand, I'm one of the few people who enjoyed listening to him commentate. I thought he was pretty insightful a lot of the time

If you can deal with how he talks you'll find some really smart commentary in there. Especially compared to most commentary. He watches the game carefully, instead of just sitting with his mates talking shit at the footy (I know he does a fair bit of that as well but its not just that,) which is the way I feel most AFL (tv) commentators approach it.

I always reckon he was fair to us (North) as well. Not criticism free but just not the pile on some commentators engage in. He looked for the positives when there weren't many as well.

The incident with Tallis was disgusting and deserves all the criticism it gets.

The Tony Free thing... I remember that interview and did laugh when he showed what he did to Free. Along the lines of "LOL WTF did you just do?" not cos I thought it was funny he broke his jaw. Based on what he did Free was running flat out at him and probably threw a punch. Didn't see the incident tho so that's just my assumption.

 

[Pistol Night]

A Pies legend

 

[Partridge]

So what does he turn around and do? Does something braindead pre-season and gets himself rubbed out for 7 games. Sure, that helps a struggling club, having him on the sidelines. Little respect on his part towards his club, it honestly made it seem he was just in Sydney for a bit of a holiday.

I think by that point his ego was so big he thought he could do anything on the field and get away with it. Like a couple of years later playing in the local league when he seemed genuinely shocked that other guys might try and take him out. Got a dose of his own medicine.

Again, good player - absolute matchwinner on his day - but he was nowhere near as important to Hawthorn as Dunstall or Platten or others. At a certain point his own opinion of himself overrode everything else.

 

[Partridge]

Ayres got very close to knocking Ablett out early in the game, he was doing his own head hunting for us flying in off the square so he was hardly going to care too much about what Ablett did to Dipper.

I think it was the third quarter, but yeah Ayres cleaned up Ablett with a beautiful shirtfront as well. Play on from memory (correctly).

 

[Pistol Night]

I think it was the third quarter, but yeah Ayres cleaned up Ablett with a beautiful shirtfront as well. Play on from memory (correctly).

Would have been interesting if it was a draw how many would have missed. None probably in that era

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Watched an interview of him on Open Mike, seemed like a balls to the wall type of player (from the clips of him playing) Speaks very well and seems like a likeable bloke, but am sure that's also up for debate. Highly amused when Mike asked him if he sent money over to the IRA and noticed he was a guest star on Pugwall. Great head of hair as well.

I youtubed searched pugwal yesterday. What were the chances.

 

[Pistol Night]

I youtubed searched pugwal yesterday. What were the chances.

2 in a billion i'd say

 

[Mitchell Madness]

He was definitely one of the white line fever types.

A very nice engaging guy off it.

Remember years back after one of the International series games we ended up at a venue and he was there. Once he found out we played Gaelic football he talked to us for a good few hours about the game.

Was that few hours him paraphrasing one comment?

 

[The_Reaper]

If you can deal with how he talks you'll find some really smart commentary in there. Especially compared to most commentary. He watches the game carefully, instead of just sitting with his mates talking shit at the footy (I know he does a fair bit of that as well but its not just that,) which is the way I feel most AFL (tv) commentators approach it.

I always reckon he was fair to us (North) as well. Not criticism free but just not the pile on some commentators engage in. He looked for the positives when there weren't many as well.

The incident with Tallis was disgusting and deserves all the criticism it gets.

The Tony Free thing... I remember that interview and did laugh when he showed what he did to Free. Along the lines of "LOL WTF did you just do?" not cos I thought it was funny he broke his jaw. Based on what he did Free was running flat out at him and probably threw a punch. Didn't see the incident tho so that's just my assumption.

He does the same with West Coast

 

[ClintEastwood]

Re OP: very tough & courageous, very good player, but also highly arrogant & a dickhead.

 

[Pistol Night]

Re OP: very tough & courageous, very good player, but also highly arrogant & a dickhead.

Most dominant CHFs have a bot of floggish arrogance. Except Jack Watts

 

[garlic munchers]

Always rate the smaller blokes that fight out of their weight division and Derm at 186cm and low 90 kgs was certainly doing that.

Awesome player who just allowed blokes around him to walk taller (not that the Hawks were short of these types anyway).

Mind you, 180cm John Worsfold says hi to Archer, Grinter, [PLAYERCARD]Dale Kickett[/PLAYERCARD], Modra, Wright etc

But seeing it is the Dermie thread, I show my way out with:

 

[Bostonian]

Was that few hours him paraphrasing one comment?

haha no.

He was actually asking a heap of questions and then listening intently to the replies.