Numbers Game: Knights on Stratton

WINS and losses, goals and points, kicks and handballs, and guernsey numbers made famous by the feats of footballers wearing them in September.

There’s no denying football is a numbers game.

Hawthorn has had plenty of players deliver in big finals over the years, and the current crop of Hawks will be striving to bring more success and silverware to the club in 2015.

hawthornfc.com.au caught up with a number of former Hawks greats, who talk about finals football and the player currently wearing the guernsey number they enjoyed success in.

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“Some ex-players may not admit it but they do – they follow who wears your guernsey number and ‘Stratts’ and I, I often walk past him in the corridor and in the gym, ‘G’day 24’, there’s that special connection, that bond.”

Peter Knights wore the number 24 through 264 games over his lengthy career as a Hawthorn player, winning premierships in 1976, ‘78 and ‘83, while claiming best and fairest awards in both ’75 and ’78.

Knights had a fantastic season as an 18 year-old in 1971, playing every game and being included in the side to represent Victoria, before succumbing to a season-ending knee injury that would rule him out of what would be a premiership-winning side.

‘To get injured in a lead up final and miss the grand final it was just devastating. It was the situation where you think ‘will I ever get that chance again?’” Knights recalled.

“Even though you hope that the team does well, you know that you’re not a part of it even though everyone after the game said you helped them get there, you’re as big a part of it as any other players that played – you’re not.”

And while the disappointment of missing the ultimate success remained, the experience of his first final, playing on St Kilda captain Barry Breen at the MCG, that same year, has stuck in his memory just as saliently.

“I knew that it was going to be a big step up from home and away footy, but I didn’t realise until I ran out on to the MCG, the crowd roared and expectations were high and I just couldn’t get my breath – I was hyperventilating that first quarter.”

Knights wouldn’t get his opportunity to step on to football’s biggest stage until four years later, 1975 – a grand final Hawthorn would lose – before playing in premiership sides in three of the next eight seasons.

The man currently wearing Knights’ guernsey, defender Ben Stratton, also tasted grand final heartache before achieving the ultimate team success.

Stratton was part of the Hawks losing grand final side in 2012, before playing in back-to-back premierships over the past two years.

Often underrated externally, Knights – now the club’s Coterie Manager – can see the importance of Stratton to the team.

“He’s now regarded as one of our experienced defenders and the thing I know about Stratts is that he’ll play his role whether he’s asked to play on a medium, a tall or a small,” he said.

“Nowadays you’ve got to be that versatile and Stratts probably more so than anyone in our defensive half can play that role.”
The Hawks’ defence is full of experience – and experience in big games – which Knights can see being a big advantage in this year’s finals campaign, as the Hawks strive for an historic premiership three-peat.

“There’s no greater advantage to have had that experience in big games. and Stratts now, albeit he’s reasonably young and has still got a lot of footy in front of him, he’s had a lot of experience and he’ll know exactly what’s in store for him.”