1991 AFL Grand Final
1991 AFL Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||
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Date | 28 September 1991 | |||||||||||||||
Stadium | Jock McHale Medallist Alan Joyce | | ||||||||||||||
Broadcast in Australia | ||||||||||||||||
Network | Seven Network | |||||||||||||||
Commentators | Sandy Roberts (host) Bruce McAvaney (commentator) Dennis Cometti (commentator) Don Scott (expert commentator) Peter McKenna (boundary rider) Bernie Quinlan (boundary rider) Ross Glendinning (analyst) Ian Robertson (analyst) | |||||||||||||||
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The 1991 AFL Grand Final was an
Reconstruction work at the larger
Background
Hawthorn had played the grand final in seven of the previous eight seasons, having most recently won the
In the lead-up to the grand final, Hawthorn defeated West Coast by 23 points at Subiaco the qualifying final. The Eagles subsequently defeated Melbourne by 38 points in the first semi-final, while Hawthorn defeated Geelong by two points in the second semi-final, sending the Hawks to the grand final. The Eagles defeated Geelong by 15 points in the preliminary final to take their place in the premiership decider.
Teams
Hawthorn
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West Coast
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Match summary
The game was played with what appeared as a four-goal breeze towards the main scoreboard end. Eagles captain John Worsfold won the toss and kicked with the wind.
First quarter
The ball moved up and down the field before the first of two 50-metre penalties conceded by Langford allowing Sumich to kick the first goal after ten minutes. A second penalty by Langford after a Sumich mark gave Sumich his second goal. A snap from Wilson in the pocket followed by a relay free kick to Heady stretched the margin out to four goals. A minute later Paul Dear ran into an open goal to give the Hawks their first. After the Hawks scored four behinds Sumich marked and kicked his third goal from outside 60 metres. Jason Dunstall scored a goal from a Ben Allan centreline clearance, then again Dunstall scored his second for the term from a free kick on the siren. The Eagles' lead was nine points at the first change.
Second quarter
With Hawthorn now kicking with the breeze, Dear marked consecutive kick ins and started dominating at Centre Half Forward. Goals to Dear and
Third quarter
Both teams went goal for goal in this term, and the margin at three-quarter time was still ten points in Hawthorn's favour. Hawthorn had Stephen Lawrence winning the hit outs, and a dominating midfield negated any wind assistance the Eagles may have had. Heady kicked three goals for the quarter and Hawthorn's Dermott Brereton two.
Final quarter
The Hawks blew the game open in the final term, kicking eight goals to one. Brereton took two marks in the goal square in the first three minutes to put the Hawks 23 points ahead. Fatigue was now taking its toll on the Eagles, and four later goals to Dunstall and one to Sumich saw the Hawks win by 53 points.
The
Postscript
This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2019) |
West Coast coach
Hawthorn's experience was seen as the decisive factor in their victory, and sparked a new club T-shirt: "Too old. Too slow. Too good."[citation needed] (Some commentators had previously thought the Hawks were 'too old and too slow' to ever win another premiership.[citation needed]) Hawthorn defender Gary Ayres made sarcastic reference to this in his post-match interview.[citation needed]
By failing to win the grand final, West Coast tied the record for the most home and away wins by a non-Premier (matching the record of 19 wins set by
Hawthorn's flag closed a period in which the club won five premierships in nine years. The game also represented the final game of VFL/AFL football played by Michael Tuck. His record includes[citation needed]
- Most premierships by a player: 7
- Most grand finals by a player: 11
- Most finals by a player: 39
- Oldest premiership player: 38 years, 95 days.
Game day entertainment
Before the game Daryl Braithwaite sang both "Waltzing Matilda" and "Advance Australia Fair".
The day was also memorable for the half-time entertainment which featured a parade of sporting celebrities in
Scorecard
Grand final | |||||
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28 September (2:50 pm) | West Coast | def. by | Hawthorn | AFL Park (crowd: 75,230) | Report |
5.1 (31) 7.2 (44) 12.5 (77) 13.8 (86) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
3.4 (22) 7.12 (54) 12.15 (87) 20.19 (139) |
Umpires: Sheehan, Russo Norm Smith Medal: Paul Dear Television broadcast: Seven Network National anthem: Daryl Braithwaite | ||
Sumich 5 Heady 4 Lewis 2 Wilson, Pyke 1 |
Goals | 6 Dunstall 4 Brereton 2 Dear, Pritchard, Hudson 1 Condon, Hall, Anderson, Morrissey | |||
McKenna, Pyke, Mainwaring, Heady, Sumich | Best | Dear, Lawrence, Morrissey, Condon, Platten, Brereton, Mew, Ayres, Dunstall | |||
Wilson (corked thigh) | Injuries | Nil | |||
Nil | Reports | Condon (striking), Lawrence (striking) | |||
See also
References
- ^ Main (2006), p.244-245
- ^ a b McGarry, Andrew (30 September 2015). "AFL Grand Final: Hawthorn and West Coast bound for glory in the 1991 AFL finale at Waverley". ABC News.
- ^ a b Barich, Adrian (2 October 2015). "Bold Hawks hope history repeats". The West Australian. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ Polkinghorne, David (2 October 2015). "Robert de Castella recalls Angry Anderson and the Batmobile". The Age. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ Jackson, Russell (23 September 2014). "The Joy of Six: AFL grand final entertainment". The Guardian.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Carlton Draught TV Commercial - Angry Anderson". YouTube.
Bibliography
- Atkinson, Graeme; Atkinson, Brant (2009). The Complete Book of AFL Finals (4th ed.). ISBN 9781742112756.
- Main, Jim (2006). When it matters most : the Norm Smith Medallist and best on ground in every Grand Final. ISBN 1920910689.
External links
- Match details at AFL Tables
- "1991 AFL Grand Final Match Day Edition". State Library of Victoria.
- The Final Story - 1991 AFL Grand Final on YouTube