1989 VFL grand final: Difference between revisions

1989 VFL Grand Final
1989 VFL Grand Final
Home Team	< 1988 • AFL Grand Final • 1990 >

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit Next edit →

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Revision as of 14:49, 31 July 2009

The 1989 VFL Grand Final was an

premiers for the 1989 VFL season. The match, attended by 94,796 spectators, was won by Hawthorn by a margin of 6 points, marking that club's 8th premiership win. It is regarded as one of the greatest Grand Finals of all time.^[1]

Background

Hawthorn were the reigning premiers, having defeated

1963 VFL Grand Final

.

At the conclusion of the

home and away season

, Hawthorn had finished first on the VFL ladder with 19 wins and 3 losses. Geelong had finished third with 16 wins and 6 losses.

In the finals series leading up to the game, Geelong lost the Qualifying Final to Essendon by 76 points, before beating Melbourne by 63 points in the First Semi-Final, and then defeating Essendon by 94 points in the Preliminary Final to advance to the Grand Final. Hawthorn had a much easier run, defeating Essendon in the Second Semi-Final to advance straight to the Grand Final.

Match summary

It was a physical game right from the start when Geelong's

Mark Yeates ran through Dermott Brereton at the opening bounce, bruising Brereton's kidney, and causing him internal bleeding and broken ribs. Brereton threw up on the ground after getting up. In a courageous display, Brereton refused to leave the ground and marked and goaled several minutes later to stem Geelong's attempt to establish superiority. Later heavy clashes would see John Platten concussed and Robert DiPierdomenico suffer broken ribs and a punctured lung, sending them both to hospital after the game.^[2]

Geelong's attack on the man and not the ball backfired in the first quarter, as they went into the quarter time break having scored two goals to Hawthorn's eight. The Hawks' opening term of 8.4 (52) is the record for the best first quarter score in Grand Final history (equalling the same score set by

1972 VFL Grand Final). Despite nine goals from Geelong champion Gary Ablett

and a spirited final quarter fightback by the Cats, Hawthorn held on to win by six points to take back-to-back flags and ensure their place as the team of the 1980s.

Ablett's nine goals set the record of most goals kicked by a player in a losing Grand Final side, beating the previous record of 8 set by

1928 VFL Grand Final. The Norm Smith Medal

was was awarded to Ablett for being judged the best player afield. This is only one of four instances of a Grand Final player having won a Norm Smith Medal without being on the winning premiership team.

Scottish soccer player Ray Stewart observed the game, and was recorded to have said "I would not play this game for a million dollars."^[3]

Teams

1989 Hawthorn Grand Final Team
B:	Andrew Collins	Chris Langford	Gary Ayres
HB:	Scott Maginness	Chris Mew	John Kennedy
C:	Darrin Pritchard	Anthony Condon	Robert DiPierdomenico
HF:	Gary Buckenara	Dermott Brereton	Peter Curran
F:	Chris Wittman	Jason Dunstall	Dean Anderson
Foll:	Greg Dear	Michael Tuck (c)	John Platten
Int:	James Morrissey	Greg Madigan

Coach:	Allan Jeans

1989 Geelong Grand Final Team
B:	Spiro Malakellis	Tim Darcy	Mark Bos
HB:	Bruce Lindner	Michael Schulze	Steven Hocking
C:	Garry Hocking	Paul Couch	Neville Bruns
HF:	Gary Ablett	Barry Stoneham	Mark Yeates
F:	Robert Scott	Bill Brownless	David Cameron
Foll:	Damian Bourke (c)	Mark Bairstow	Andrew Bews
Int:	Darren Flanigan	Shane Hamilton

Coach:	Malcolm Blight

Result

Template:AFLScorecardGF2006

References

^ The sweet agony of brave, gallant, heroic defeat :: ABC Sport
^ Jim Main, Aussie rules for dummies (2nd edition, 2008), p 10.
^ Jim Main, Aussie rules for dummies (2nd edition, 2008), p 10.

External links

[1] The sweet agony of brave, gallant, heroic defeat :: ABC Sport

[2] Jim Main, Aussie rules for dummies (2nd edition, 2008), p 10.

[3] Jim Main, Aussie rules for dummies (2nd edition, 2008), p 10.

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 At the conclusion of the [[home and away season]], Hawthorn had finished first on the VFL ladder with 19 wins and 3 losses. Geelong had finished third with 16 wins and 6 losses.
+In the finals series leading up to the game, Geelong lost the Qualifying Final to [[Essendon Football Club|Essendon]] by 76 points, before beating Melbourne by 63 points in the First Semi-Final, and then defeating Essendon by 94 points in the Preliminary Final to advance to the Grand Final. Hawthorn had a much easier run, defeating Essendon in the Second Semi-Final to advance straight to the Grand Final.
 ==Match summary==