Each year the Hawks Museum pays tribute to three former players who typified the spirit of the Brown & Gold. These players have provided the weekly adrenaline drive to countless fans who ride every bump and cheer every goal. For 2021, we pay tribute to Ken Beck (1962-1972), Scott Maginness (1988-1996) and Brad Sewell (2004-2014). Due to Covid restrictions this tribute will be on display from October 2021 to November 2022.
Ken Beck
Recruited Stawell
Debut Order 526
Played 1962-1972
Guernsey 20
Games 143, Goals 23
Premiership 1971
Night Premierships 1968, 1969
Reserves Premiership 1972
2nd Best & Fairest 1969
Life Member 1971
PP&OA 1987-2007
PP&OA President 1997-2007
A lanky ruckman from Stawell in the Wimmera League, Beck arrived at Hawthorn as a 15-year-old in 1956 and played in the Hawthorn Thirds (Under 19), Fourths (Under 17), Hawthorn City and Reserves sides before making a senior debut at the age of 21 in Round 12,1962.
Beck married in March of that year and moved into a house in Linda Crescent, just across from Glenferrie Oval. He was never late for training. When he got home from work, he would grab his training gear, and run across the road to start training. As a budding tradesman, he was given the job of building the new scoreboard at the Glenferrie Road end.
Hawthorn had won its first premiership in 1961 but slipped out of finals calculations in 1962 due to injuries and a loss of form. Beck made his debut in Round 12 against Footscray and quickly established himself a regular member of the team as a mobile ruckman. The team regained its composure in 1963 and made the finals again. However, Geelong proved to be superior, led by the inspirational Polly Farmer. The Hawks and the Cats met four times that year, with the Hawks only managing a draw, losing three, including the Grand Final. In a Grand Final tradition now lost to the game, the players exchanged guernseys. Beck swapped with Polly Farmer, thus giving Ken one of his most treasured pieces of football memorabilia.
For the next eleven seasons, Beck gave his all to the team. Known for his dry wit, Beck placed himself into footy folklore. During a game against St Kilda in 1969 he faithfully carried out coach Kennedy’s demands that when standing on the mark you must distract an opponent who is about to take his kick. To the mirth of his teammates, Beck tried to upset his opponent by doing a handstand on the mark. It wasn’t a successful ploy as his as his opponent simply ran around him and kicked a goal. Kennedy was not impressed.
In 1971, and with the emergence of Don Scott in the ruck, Beck found himself playing more with the Reserves, but earned a recall to the Seniors, playing five or six senior games before the end of the home and away season. Beck didn’t play in the 2nd Semi against the Saints due to a hip injury. After the Thursday night’s training session prior to the Grand Final, Beck nervously waited for the teams to be read out on the radio. Finally, he heard his name along with Ray Wilson, they were on the bench. Beck was over the moon to know that he had what may be a second chance for a Premiership.
Ten minutes into the Grand Final, Beck was called on to replace the injured Les Hawken. The Hawks came from a 20-point deficit to record a seven-point victory, to take the Premiership over St Kilda in a most brutal encounter. Beck’s lasting memory from the Grand Final was the crowd chanting ‘Hawthorn, Hawthorn, Hawthorn’. It was the loudest cheering he had heard in support for the Hawks, and he felt it really lifted their spirits during the nail-biting final quarter.
Prior to the Grand Final, the players were given instructions that if they won the Premiership, they weren’t to swap guernseys with the St Kilda players as the guernseys were needed for the game against the South Australian premiers in Adelaide the following week.
One of Beck’s proudest achievements is having contributed to the victory in Adelaide when the team defeated SANL Premiers, North Adelaide. The next week, the Club won their three games in the Australian Knock-out Series in Perth, with the press bestowing the title to the Hawks of ‘World Champions’.
1972 was to be Beck’s last season and he went out in style as captain of the Reserves. His last game for his beloved Hawks was the Reserves Premiership. Beck went on to captain-coach Dandenong in the VFA in 1973-74 and then played with Prahran and Oakleigh. He played with Seaford in 1978, winning the Best & Fairest for the Mornington Peninsula League at the tender age of 37.
Beck later returned to Hawthorn as a very active member of the Past Players & Officials Association in 1987 and was President for 11 years. He and his wife Judy have also regularly organised the highly successful 1971 Premiership reunions.
Scott Maginness
Recruited Old Scotch
Debut Order 717
Played 1988-1996
Guernsey 20
Games 131, Goals 8
Premierships 1988, 1989
Emergency Premiership 1991
3rd Club Champion 1994
Best Clubman 1992
Life Member 1995
PP&OA Committee 2008-2021
Scott Maginness enjoys a rare record at Hawthorn. Only two families can claim three generations of participation as players. The first being the Kennedy family of John Snr, son John Jnr and grandson Josh. The Maginness family is the second family to have three generations play for the Hawks. The family achieved this when grandson Finn made his debut in R1, 2020, joining his father Scott and grandfather Norm as having played at least one senior game. With a touch of luck, the Maginness family could have become the first family represented by four generations. Finn’s great grandfather, Don received an invitation to play with Hawthorn in 1927 and made an impressive start with the 2nd 18 and being considered for senior selection. But his work with the railways denied him this opportunity.
Scott and his brothers, Glenn and Paul began their football careers with the Mt Waverley Football Club. Whilst Maginness was a student at Scotch College, he attracted the attention of Hawthorn’s Recruiting Officers with his determined efforts in the school’s football team. His earliest memories of following the brown and gold is watching the last games at the Glenferrie Oval in the early 1970s. His heroes were Leigh Matthews and Bob Keddie.
In 1985, aged 18, Maginness played his first game with the Under 19s. By the end of the season, he had graduated to the Reserves, playing the first of more than 100 games with the twos.
Maginness made his senior debut in Round 2 against Richmond in 1988, with the Hawks recording a 85-point victory. Like his father, he also made his name at half-back with an ability to intercept opposition forward trusts with his strong marking. Maginness went onto play 18 games for the year – his 18th game was a premiership. Hawthorn crushed Melbourne by 96 points, and he capped off his memorable season by winning the Best Recruit Award.
The Hawks success continued in 1989. Maginness had cemented his place in the team and played all 24 games. He has fond memories of the two epic encounters against Geelong that year. The first encounter was in Round 6 at Princes Park. Geelong had led by 49 points at half time with the Hawks storming home to win by 8 points. The two teams next met in the Grand Final in another game full of high drama, Hawthorn pushed the lead out to 36 points at the final change. With Hawthorn’s injuries mounting, Geelong fought back strongly in the last quarter but could not break the Hawk’s resolve. Maginness added his own drama in the final term when he collided with a point-post while attempting a mark. He gradually got back on his feet after nervous Hawk fans feared that another player maybe injured. With only fourteen fit players the Hawks hung on to win by six points. Playing at fullback on the talented Gary Ablett that day remains a somewhat testing memory of endeavouring to match it with the Geelong star. Ablett did kick nine goals and won the Norm Smith Medal, but Scott was more than happy with the eventual outcome, the Hawks won the premiership, his second in only his second year of VFL Football.
Maginness endured a lean patch during the next few seasons but his determination and dedication for fitness led him to be named as an emergency in the team that was to play off for the 1991 Premiership against the West Coast Eagles, which the Hawks won by 53 points. He regained his place with the seniors in 1994, playing 23 games and was rewarded for his efforts coming third in the Club Champion Award to John Platten and Jason Dunstall.
In 1995, Maginness took on a leadership role with the younger players. He was awarded Life Membership for 10 years-service and retired as a player at the conclusion of the 1996 season. Such was Scott’s commitment to the Hawks, he took on the role of Club Runner and served on the Match Committee for several years and is now a committee member of the Past Players.
Maginness’s interest in good health and fitness has seen him establish a successful practice as a chiropractor, with rooms in Brighton and Somerville.
Brad Sewell
Recruited North Ballarat
Debut Order 823
Played 2004-2014
Guernsey 28 (2004-05), 12 (2006-14)
Games 200, Goals 32
Premierships 2008, 2013
Peter Crimmins Medal 2007
2nd Peter Crimmins Medal 2012
Best Player in Finals 2007, 2012
Most Improved 2005
Life Member 2012
Sewell played junior football at the Newlyn Football Club in the Central Highlands Football League and later with the North Ballarat Rebels in the Under 18 TAC Cup competition. Selected at Pick 7 in the 2003 rookie draft, Sewell made his debut in Round 3, 2004, against Port Adelaide playing a further five games showing glimpses of his grit and toughness that he would late be admired for. In 2005 he played a further 12 games in which his aggression and determination were key.
Given the number 12 guernsey in 2006, Sewell established himself as a midfielder, playing all 22 games, running third in the Peter Crimmins Medal behind Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge. He was given the task of curbing top-flight opponents such as Geelong’s Gary Ablett, Essendon’s James Hird and Collingwood’s Nathan Buckley.
Sewell has an inspirational story of a country lad of average height whose speed in his youth was restricted partly by osteitis pubis and a healthy appetite, inspired by his grandmother’s cooking. He believed the cycle of football had returned to strong-bodied midfielders, and he was living proof. He went from a negating, run with player to be a potent force in his own right. Recognition seemed to stem from the coaches’ award on Channel 9’s Footy Classified, and in 2007, his value had been recognised. His strong tackling and willingness to work hard made him a formidable opponent as he went on to win the 2007 Peter Crimmins Medal by one vote over runner-up Campbell Brown.
Injuries in mid-2008 was a flat spot but by August, Sewell was gathering momentum and in the Finals he had the upper hand against key opposing midfielders - Footscray’s Adam Cooney, St Kilda’s Lenny Hayes and Geelong’s Jimmy Bartel.
2008 is a season that will forever live in the hearts of Hawthorn fans. Sewell played in the first ten games before he was injured. He returned for the Round 15 clash against Sydney and played the rest of the home and away season. Finishing second behind Geelong, Hawthorn hit the finals with absolute aplomb, compiling a 51-point win over the Dogs in the Qualifying Final, then in the Preliminary, accounted for St Kilda by 54 points.
Geelong had lost only one match in 2008 up until that point. In one of the biggest Grand Final upsets, the Hawks kicked 6.2 to 3.6 in the third quarter to ultimately take out the Premiership defeating the Cats by 26 points. Sewell was outstanding, finishing third in the Norm Smith Medal voting.
In the final round of 2009, Sewell suffered a fractured cheekbone and eye socket when he was knocked out by a shirtfront from Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd early in the third quarter, thus intensifying the sometimes bitter rivalry between the two clubs. Sewell, however, gained some consolation when he came fourth in the Peter Crimmins Medal.
Sewell played another 19 games in 2010, with his best game against Brisbane down in Launceston, with a career high 39 disposals. 2012 could well have been Sewell’s finest season, he finished second in the Peter Crimmins Medal count behind Sam Mitchell and was named the Hawks’ Best on Ground in the Grand Final when the Hawks went down to Sydney. Sewell also won Hawthorn’s Best Finals Player Award.
2013 was redemption for the Hawks. Sewell himself enjoyed another strong season. He played vital roles in the Qualifying Final dispatching the Swans by 54 points. Sewell’s 30 touches, a team high. The Hawks then defeated Geelong by five points in the Preliminary Final before taking out the Grand Final against Fremantle by 15 points. Sewell became a Premiership Player for the second time.
2014 was his final season, Sewell twice suffered from hamstring injuries. The first in the final practice match before the season began, and then again in round 16, early in a game against North Melbourne. He managed ten games for the season, with his last game, his 200th, being the Second Qualifying Final against Geelong.
Sewell announced his retirement from AFL football at the Club’s Peter Crimmins ceremony later that year, receiving a heartfelt standing ovation. Sewell received Life Membership in 2012.
