This time last week we were playing in one of our biggest games of the year. With 11 defeats before us and the infamous Kennett curse, the psychological battleground was laid bare. If our players could get their heads around a win… surely the eventual reality would follow. Surely. But we’d all been there before, predicting ‘this’ would be the game or ‘this’ time we wouldn’t lose. We couldn’t. We shouldn’t.
Battle-weary supporters lined the stands. I had so much nervous energy that when I came off air at 7pm I hitched a ride to Richmond with a colleague, ran, and caught a tram to Gate 6, where I climbed the stairs to a waiting band of quiet, steadfast supporters. It was a room heaving with Hawthorn heavies, including the likes of Cyril-worshipper John Sylvester and bowlologist Damien Fleming.
At the back of the room was a clutch of Geelong supporters, and one Gary Ablett Junior. He was a gentleman from start to heart-stopping finish, and made a humble exit at the full-time siren, when Hawks fans could once again fill their airways with the cheer of victory. Our team had not only resuscitated our Grand Final fortunes, it halted one of the most contentious and talked-about losing streaks at the 11th hour.. after 11 losses to the Cats. It also paved the way for Hawthorn to contest an 11th premiership title.
As we filed out of the MCG I wondered if supporters viewed the now-broken curse as something more. In this battle, it was not just ball mastery and physical skill on display, it was an irrepressible spirit determined to soar once again. It reminded me of the will to win captured in that famous quote by first premiership coach and four-time best and fairest winner John Kennedy Senior. The quote is etched on the wall at the Hawks home base at Waverley and Hawthorn players see it every time they make their way onto the training ground. It’s derived from the 1975 VFL Grand Final against North Melbourne when Kennedy’s exhortation to the Hawthorn players at half time was: "At least do something! do! Don't think, don't hope, do! At least you can come off and say 'I did this, I shepherded, I played on. At least I did something.
The will to win was the magic ingredient for Hawthorn players last Friday night. They did something, and then some.
The story of past legends like John Kennedy Senior is to understand the narrative that still depicts the club ethos today - Always Hawthorn. It’s a club that’s never forgotten its legacy values; values like integrity, discipline and, above all, a sense of team. It’s a club that has produced a raft of champions over decades, who remained loyal from the start to finish of their careers… and proud of it… like the first premiership captain of the first premiership side in 1961, Graham Arthur. Legends like Arthur, Peter Knights and Peter Hudson are still very much a presence at the club. They are often called and happily oblige in recounting their inspiring stories to players and supporters. They speak of a time when football was driven by excellence on the field, not money. You get the feeling that for them too, it’s a club that keeps on giving.
For me the Hawthorn of today is much those formidable sides of the past comprising a playing group which is the sum of its parts. It’s able to sustain players high on impact and flair. In short, it’s a team that accommodates brilliant moments from brilliant players. When they all fire, no one gets in their way. Go Hawks!!
