Hawthorn and Essendon are set to renew hostilities this weekend in what is one of the game’s most famous rivalries.
Dating back to the early 1980s, when the two sides met in three consecutive grand finals between 1983 and 1985, the two clubs have enjoyed a storied past.
The 1983 decider saw the Hawks get up by a record 83-point margin, before the Bombers had their revenge, claiming back to back flags the following two seasons.
But the rivalry is as much about the biff and brawl between the two teams as it is about games won and lost.
Brownlow medalist and Hawthorn legend Robert DiPierdomenico received a five-week suspension for cleaning up Essendon’s Allan Stoneham in Round 8, 1983, while later that year Tim Watson famously copped a blow from Hawk Colin Robertson, who won the Norm Smith Medal for his tagging role on the star Bomber.
The ‘85 grand final saw players from both teams involved in a melee after the opening bounce, with the players from both sides’ benches running on to the field to join in.
Former Hawks star Dermott Brereton also provided two infamous moments that fed the intense rivalry.
The first involved Brereton planting a kiss on Bombers defender Billy Duckworth before also running through the opposition’s three-quarter time huddle, while in the 1989 semi final against the Dons, Brereton again raised hostilities as he laid a shepherd on forward Paul Vander Haar that knocked the Bomber out.
Read - Rewind: Hawks down Dons
However, the two sides’ more recent history is dominated by the infamous ‘Line in the Sand’ match.
Finding themselves 32-points down at half time and having lost their last eight encounters against the Bombers, the Hawks were said to have allegedly been told by Brereton at the main break to ‘draw a line in the sand’ and take a physical stand against the Bombers.
The two sides soon became entangled in an all-in brawl after a collision between Hawk Chance Bateman and Bomber Jason Winderlich, in scenes reminiscent of those between the two rivals in the 1980s.
Three Hawks – Richie Vandenberg, Lance Picioane and Campbell Brown – were each suspended for four weeks, while a record $70,700 was handed out in fines.
Yet another fiery clash ensued in Round 22, 2009, as the two sides met with a finals spot on the line for the game’s winner.
The Hawks this time found themselves 22 points up against the Bombers whose captain, Matthew Lloyd, wanted to impose a physical presence on the game.
The full-forward landed a head-high bump on Brad Sewell to open the third quarter, leaving the midfielder knocked out, with a large-scale melee again erupting between the two sides.
The incident changed the momentum and the Bombers went on to claim a crucial victory and a spot in that year’s finals series.
The Hawks have since had the edge over the Bombers, winning seven of the ten encounters since that clash, with the rivalry’s latest installment set to unfold at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
