I have been extremely lucky!

In my time as a member of the Hawthorn Football Club for 52 years I have seen the Club make the finals for the first time and play in 15 Grand Finals for ten Premierships.

Obviously 1957 was significant, after being perennial cellar dwellers since 1925, it proved the Hawks could at last mix it with the big boys. The Round 17 win over Essendon at Glenferrie Oval, which guaranteed a finals berth, was the cause for much celebration amongst all Hawk supporters.

However, those celebrations did not compare with those of 23 September 1961 after the Club had won its first flag. I remember, as a 14 year old, going to Glenferrie Oval at about 10pm for the presentation of the team to the members and supporters and being confronted by thousands of fans and more drunk people than I have ever seen before.

In my career as a sports commentator, of nearly 40 years, I have been fortunate to have been able to broadcast 12 of the 15 Grand Finals the Club has played. I always found these matches the most difficult to broadcast for all the obvious reasons.
1989 would just get my vote ahead of last year’s outstanding triumph as the greatest win I have broadcast.

1984 the most gut wrenching defeat!

I remember saying to my then 10 year old son as we drove to the 1989 Grand Final, don’t take it for granted that the Hawks will always be playing in the big one. He found that hard to believe as he was on his way to his seventh Grand Final and the Hawks had played in every one.

He now realizes his old man wasn’t so silly after all.

It has been a wonderful journey with plenty of agony to go with the ecstasy, but I’ll take 10 flags in 52 years any day. It’s a far better record than any other club in the competition in that period of time.

Go Hawks!

Graham ‘Smokey’ Dawson