West Coast entered the 1991 grand final as hot favourites against the Hawks.
Having won 19 of their 22 home and away games, the Eagles deserved this status and, with the opportunity to take the AFL premiership out of Victoria for the first time, history beckoned.
But their opposition were no easy-beats.
Hawthorn had featured in seven of the previous eight grand finals, winning four of them.
The match-up had an additional historical quirk in that it was the first, and only, grand final that has ever been played outside of the MCG, with Waverley Park playing host due to the redevelopment project at the MCG.
The game was a clash of the old versus the young.
Not only as clubs, with the Hawks already owning eight premiership cups, but the ages of the players representing either club also saw a massive discrepancy.
The Hawks’ average age was 26-and-a-half years old, while the boys from the west were three years younger on average.
But it was the Eagles who looked more comfortable on the big stage from the first bounce.
Having booted 106 goals in the season to that point, West Coast forward Peter Sumich started like a house on fire, with the 23-year-old booting three goals in the opening term.
His fast start helped his side to a nine-point buffer at quarter time.
As one would expect from a champion team, Hawthorn responded strongly in the second but were somewhat wasteful in front of goal, kicking 4.8 for the quarter.
Nevertheless, majors to Paul Dear, Darrin Pritchard, Tony Hall and Paul Hudson saw the Hawks hold a 10-point lead at the main break.
With both sides piling on five goals each in the ‘premiership quarter’, neither team was able to gain much ascendancy over the other.
Although, with a strong wind favouring the end that the Hawks would kick to in the final term, the closely-fought battle in the third quarter was seen as a win to the brown and gold.
Hawthorn’s 10-point advantage remained as the sides headed into the final change and the game appeared the Hawks’ to win.
Two goals to Dermott Brereton in the opening three minutes of the quarter saw doubt planted in the heads of the Eagles players.
The star-studded Hawthorn outfit smelt blood from there on and never looked back.
Jason Dunstall kicked four final term goals as the Hawks ran away with what was ultimately a comfortable victory.
The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Hawthorn’s Paul Dear for his 26-disposal, two-goal performance.
This game was the final chapter of an incredible golden era for the brown and gold.
