Leigh Matthews 1976 Peter Crimmins B&F trophy, 81& 83 runner up trophies too

[Benny78]

Maybe that coward puncher Ryan Wells should get one and sell it too

 

[Benny78]

See, I don't think of footballers as thugs is that era.

Sure, some players had zero talent and were picked just to be enforcers. But even then, they were playing to the excepted rules of competition of the time, on the field of battle. Often they were playing to coaches instructions to knock out certain players.

Buddha Hocking spent the first half of a grand final trying to knock out as many Hawthorn players as he could. I don't hate him for it, I understand the era he played in, and why it was seen of value to his team. He ended up having his own teeth knocked out in that game. He didn't complain.

So it is not simple, and to try to view it is as simple, as if it is like violence on the street, is really unhelpful imo. To say there are thugs and victims, doesn't really ring true to me. Even the Gaff hit this year, I don't condemn him.


But you imply I am calling Leigh a victim. What? Why would you bother? He hit someone. He would have faced punishment via a suspension, but the story didn't end there. It got very complicated, so I understand why he is sick of having to answer to it..... like the player Bruns never intentionlly hurt someone on the field.

I hate how on BF people always want to find someone to put up on the cross.

Your morality is quite fascinating. Here you are vigorously defending the actions of a a coward puncher. When it was only weeks ago you were lecturing people with a BMW avatar for being anti semitic

 

[Luv_our_club]

Your morality is quite fascinating. Here you are vigorously defending the actions of a a coward puncher. When it was only weeks ago you were lecturing people with a BMW avatar for being anti semitic

It was months ago, not weeks.

I wasn't lecturing "people"... I was admonishing you.

I won't put up your old avatar again.... it was a Nazi symbol. IF you want to see it again... type "Nazi" into Google images and it is the 4th or 5th image that appears.

I questioned you about it first,.... but you had posted some racist s**t a month or so earlier, about monkeys.

I am surprised you would want to revisit it....



Are you the Geelong poster hiding behind the "Masher" account?

 

[Benny78]

It was months ago, not weeks.

I wasn't lecturing "people"... I was admonishing you.

I won't put up your old avatar again.... it was a Nazi symbol. IF you want to see it again... type "Nazi" into Google images and it is the 4th or 5th image that appears.

I questioned you about it first,.... but you had posted some racist s**t a month or so earlier, about monkeys.

I am surprised you would want to revisit it....



Are you the Geelong poster hiding behind the "Masher" account?

I am not a masher of any kind. I am Benny. Also the iron cross is not a nazi symbol I don't know who taught you that. If anything that would be Germanophobic.

As for the monkey thing I have no idea what you're talking about. You seem to be looking at things and making the other half of them up. I was probably talking about orangutans and palm oil, and you probably thought by palm oil I meant tribes or something.

But Leigh Matthews is a coward puncher. Of that I'm certain!

 

[Masher]

Are you the Geelong poster hiding behind the "Masher" account?

If more than one person disagrees with you then we are all the same person...maybe you should deal with your own issues before you judge others

 

[Luv_our_club]

I am not a masher of any kind. I am Benny. Also the iron cross is not a nazi symbol I don't know who taught you that. If anything that would be Germanophobic.

As for the monkey thing I have no idea what you're talking about. You seem to be looking at things and making the other half of them up. I was probably talking about orangutans and palm oil, and you probably thought by palm oil I meant tribes or something.

But Leigh Matthews is a coward puncher. Of that I'm certain!

Below is the post Benny.

My god I say stuff like that on social media all the time. I wouldn't take him seriously at all. The fact he said the word "ape" proves to me he is aware of the previous Adam Goodes situation and is just a legend looking to rile up a lot of people and let them use him to look good in front of their friends and family on social media.

 

[Marc_Remillard]

See, I don't think of footballers as thugs is that era.

Sure, some players had zero talent and were picked just to be enforcers. But even then, they were playing to the excepted rules of competition of the time, on the field of battle. Often they were playing to coaches instructions to knock out certain players.

Buddha Hocking spent the first half of a grand final trying to knock out as many Hawthorn players as he could. I don't hate him for it, I understand the era he played in, and why it was seen of value to his team. He ended up having his own teeth knocked out in that game. He didn't complain.

So it is not simple, and to try to view it is as simple, as if it is like violence on the street, is really unhelpful imo. To say there are thugs and victims, doesn't really ring true to me. Even the Gaff hit this year, I don't condemn him.


But you imply I am calling Leigh a victim. What? Why would you bother? He hit someone. He would have faced punishment via a suspension, but the story didn't end there. It got very complicated, so I understand why he is sick of having to answer to it..... like the player Bruns never intentionlly hurt someone on the field.

I hate how on BF people always want to find someone to put up on the cross.

Assaulting someone from behind when they're not expecting it is the exact definition of a thug.

Most players back the were tough, they put their bodies on the line. But players like Mathews were thugs and cowards.

 

[Silent Alarm]

Yeah, even putting his hitman antics aside he just seems like a weird unit. A bit like Michael Clarke in that he seems to view playing for a sports team the same way someone would view working for a law firm or something. Possibly a sociopath tbh.

Do understand the impulse to stick up for him from fellow Hawks, I didn't watch him play so I don't have that 'tribal' supporter connection to him as a player, but I felt like sticking up for Luke Hodge when he drunk drove even though I'd never give a random person the benefit of the doubt for it.

Yep, sociopath is the word I'd use.

Listen to the way he commentates these days. Even 10, 15 years removed from being actively part of a footy club, he still has that real... clinical obsession.

 

[Trav 20]

The best footballer I've ever seen.

The most ruthless and callous footballer I've ever seen.

The least sentimental footballer I've seen (until his final game).

Love him.

 

[WireHawk]

I was at the infamous game at Princes Park in 1986. Bruns ,from my recollection, was reported for unduly rough play on Michael Tuck early on in the game. This set the tone for a nasty spiteful game ,from both sides. That doesn't excuse what happened to Bruns though, just helps explain the process.

Mark Jackson was the catalyst for what eventually transpired between Matthews and Bruns. I was nearby to where Jackson was standing next to Chris Langford, by all accounts, a scrupulously fair player. Well behind the play Jackson launched into Langford with four brutal punches to the head. Langford was pretty strong but even he buckled by the third punch.

Matthews said later on that he was furious about what Jackson had done to Langford and the "red mist' had descended over his eyes and he took it out on an unsuspecting Bruns, brutally. Jackson was at the other end of the ground. Then Steve Hocking attacked Matthews from behind and seriously injured him. Matthews was then assisted from the ground, as Bruns was stretchered off.

The next day on World Of Sport, Sam Newman, Geelong to the core, congratulated Hocking for his actions and coruscated Matthews saying words to the effect that Matthews should be banned for a long time.

Then the law got involved, at Geelong and Bruns' request and Matthews was de-registered as a player and subsequently reviled in the media. An ugly day with ugly consequences.

 

[Slartibartfast]

I was at the infamous game at Princes Park in 1986. Bruns ,from my recollection, was reported for unduly rough play on Michael Tuck early on in the game. This set the tone for a nasty spiteful game ,from both sides. That doesn't excuse what happened to Bruns though, just helps explain the process.

Mark Jackson was the catalyst for what eventually transpired between Matthews and Bruns. I was nearby to where Jackson was standing next to Chris Langford, by all accounts, a scrupulously fair player. Well behind the play Jackson launched into Langford with four brutal punches to the head. Langford was pretty strong but even he buckled by the third punch.

Matthews said later on that he was furious about what Jackson had done to Langford and the "red mist' had descended over his eyes and he took it out on an unsuspecting Bruns, brutally. Jackson was at the other end of the ground. Then Steve Hocking attacked Matthews from behind and seriously injured him. Matthews was then assisted from the ground, as Bruns was stretchered off.

The next day on World Of Sport, Sam Newman, Geelong to the core, congratulated Hocking for his actions and coruscated Matthews saying words to the effect that Matthews should be banned for a long time.

Then the law got involved, at Geelong and Bruns' request and Matthews was de-registered as a player and subsequently reviled in the media. An ugly day with ugly consequences.

When Hocking went to the tribunal for smacking Matthews , on the way into the tribunal Leigh told Hocking not to say anything and Matthews then said to tribunal he had no idea who hit him and Hocking got off. That is Hockings version. Matthews played a hard game but lived by the sword he played with. Not all did.

 

[James Colorado]

Hawthorn can scrape together the $5k if it's such a valuable piece of memorable labia. Drop in the ocean compared to all those legal fees Carlton and Essendon wasted on defending the disgraceful behaviour of Greg Williams and James Hird.

Oh no, look what I went and did.

"Memorable labia." Nice predictive text

 

[FootyGeek]

 

[the harry]

I was at the infamous game at Princes Park in 1986. Bruns ,from my recollection, was reported for unduly rough play on Michael Tuck early on in the game. This set the tone for a nasty spiteful game ,from both sides. That doesn't excuse what happened to Bruns though, just helps explain the process.

Mark Jackson was the catalyst for what eventually transpired between Matthews and Bruns. I was nearby to where Jackson was standing next to Chris Langford, by all accounts, a scrupulously fair player. Well behind the play Jackson launched into Langford with four brutal punches to the head. Langford was pretty strong but even he buckled by the third punch.

Matthews said later on that he was furious about what Jackson had done to Langford and the "red mist' had descended over his eyes and he took it out on an unsuspecting Bruns, brutally. Jackson was at the other end of the ground. Then Steve Hocking attacked Matthews from behind and seriously injured him. Matthews was then assisted from the ground, as Bruns was stretchered off.

The next day on World Of Sport, Sam Newman, Geelong to the core, congratulated Hocking for his actions and coruscated Matthews saying words to the effect that Matthews should be banned for a long time.

Then the law got involved, at Geelong and Bruns' request and Matthews was de-registered as a player and subsequently reviled in the media. An ugly day with ugly consequences.

It's always been said Jacko was the major catalyst for that few minutes.

I can't recall much though if what is said to have prompted Jacko or at least the circumstances surrounding his punched as in were they from behind /front on/done after a contest between the two

 

[Benny78]

He's the greatest coward puncher to have ever played our game

 

[Slartibartfast]

He's the greatest coward puncher to have ever played our game

With that comment you do a big injustice to Campbell brown, Byron Pickett, Matthew Lloyd to name a few.

 

[blue harvest]

He's the greatest coward puncher to have ever played our game

Check out his statue outside gate 4 next time you're there.

 

[Deleted member 170709]

All these muppets slaying The GOAT wish they could have ever had half the player.

Clutching at straws to discredit him, seriously get over it, it was the era of the time and not only was he the best player he was brutal at the same time thus the perfect balance and forever unmatched.

Squillions of these types of hits from players from every club.

Morons

 

[Slartibartfast]

He's the greatest coward puncher to have ever played our game

Lived by the sword, died by the sword.
Was a brute but never winced , took a short step, or complained.

 

[Benny78]

 

[Eddie Dingle]

With that comment you do a big injustice to Campbell brown, Byron Pickett, Matthew Lloyd to name a few.

Who did Picket ever punch?

 

[Quivorir]

The lengths some supporters go to defend a player of their club is incredible. Not just talking about this thread, but every time a player does something wrong.

 

[Jafa]

It was months ago, not weeks.

I wasn't lecturing "people"... I was admonishing you.

I won't put up your old avatar again.... it was a Nazi symbol. IF you want to see it again... type "Nazi" into Google images and it is the 4th or 5th image that appears.

I questioned you about it first,.... but you had posted some racist s**t a month or so earlier, about monkeys.

I am surprised you would want to revisit it....



Are you the Geelong poster hiding behind the "Masher" account?

Hehe - Godwins law, and only page 3.

 

[Rusty Brookes]

The lengths some supporters go to defend a player of their club is incredible. Not just talking about this thread, but every time a player does something wrong.

I still think Matthews is probably the best I've seen play, particularly in influencing the outcome of the game. Even at the close of his career, he could still seemingly change the direction of a game by kicking a couple of goals at the deathknell.

He also did some stuff that was deadset horrible - which he's admitted plenty of times himself. He was akin to a Terminator - a killing machine that would do anything to win a game. Every club at the time had players that were willing to break the rules and engage in what could be called thuggish behaviour. Tony Lockett loved cleaning up opposition backmen when they were open, Gary Ablett Snr wasn't shy of running through an unprotected opponent, Wayne Carey didn't mind an "accidental" fist to the back of a defender's head, etc

I think us Hawthorn supporters have to accept Leigh was a dirty player and the rest have to accept he was one of the greatest players of all time and that all clubs had dirty players at the time. Gladly the game has moved on from then but that is how the game was played in the 70s/80s.

As for him selling his trophy, it's his he can do what he wants with it.

 

[carnaroys08]

Is it even Matthews who is the owner of the trophy these days?