Presenting Blast from the Past!
Over the month of September, we will be taking you on a trip down memory lane as we look back at various moments in Hawthorn history that have occurred on the same date.
Today we rewind back to 1983…
Hawthorn entered the 1983 finals series as a premiership fancy, finishing in second place after the home and away season.
Minor premiers, North Melbourne was afforded a week off in the first week of finals while the Hawks hosted third-placed Fitzroy in a qualifying final at the MCG and the elimination final saw Essendon take on Carlton, after finishing in fourth and fifth spot respectively.
The Hawthorn and Fitzroy sides were littered with stars, both the proven and the emerging.
Beginning to prove his wares, Dermott Brereton was playing his 17th career game for the Hawks.
Hawks coach Allan Jeans was in his third season at the helm, after 16 years at St Kilda, and was desperately seeking his first piece of silverware at Hawthorn.
Fitzroy superboot Bernie Quinlan had played his 300th game three weeks prior and was at the peak of his powers after reaching a century of goals that home and away season for the first time in his career.
With 243 games under his belt, a 30-year-old Michael Tuck was just past halfway on his career.
Meanwhile Peter Knights and Leigh Matthews, both 31, were the Hawks’ oldest and most-experienced pair.
Read: Hawks' dominance set for a hit
Playing in his 17th career final, it was Knights whose experience truly came to the fore in this one.
He took the game by the scruff of the neck out of full-forward, booting six goals from his 23 disposals and nine marks.
He proved the clear difference as the Hawks held off a fast-finishing Lions outfit to advance through to a semi-final.
