- The Premierships 1961 - 1986 (commissioned 1987, artist Brian Clinton)
- The HFC Celebrating 150 years (commissioned 1996, artist Brian Clinton)
- The Ultimate Premiership Team (commissioned 2011, artist Jamie Cooper)
The Team of the Century mural can be seen during the Stadium Tours conducted mid-week, bookings essential, phone Mike Warren (03)95353063.
The Ultimate Premiership Team
Artist: Jamie Cooper
Jamie Cooper who painted this magnificent mural wrote the story for the Ultimate Premiership Team. Thanks to PUMA Australia for sponsoring this mural.
The team selected by votes cast by Hawthorn Football Club members and fans during 2011 as a part of the celebrations of the 5 Decades of Flags.
The Inside Story from left to right.
Considered two of the toughest men in the game, Norm Smith Medallists Luke Hodge (2008) and Gary Ayres (1986, 1988) sit back and take in the scene. Before them, four-time premiership player John Kennedy Jnr is embraced by beloved coach Allan Jeans while spraying a bottle of Champagne over Cyril Rioli, Sam Mitchell and Shane Crawford who are holding the 2008 premiership cup.
As he is well known to do, Jeans is giving someone a stern talking to with his finger pointed and his palm turned up. Players under the legendary coach said he would often point his finger when addressing the group, but when he wanted to drive a point home he would turn his palm up in a twisting motion.
In this scene, Jeans’ accusatory finger is directed at ‘Crawf’ who is responding with a shocked look and a shrug of his shoulders as if to say, “Who? Me? What have I done?” The reason for Jeans’s attention is because Peter Crimmins, hiding behind ‘Crawf’, has pinched Jeans’ police officer’s hat from the coaches locker (far left).
Hanging in the locker is a string of sausages - in reference to Jeans’ famous analogy of sausages and football. In a pre-game speech, Jeans told the playing group, “Sausages are like football … You can fry ‘em, grill ‘em or curry ‘em, but they are still sausages. It doesn’t matter how many fancy plays and tactics you have … it is still football. We have the ball. They have the ball, or you have to go and get the ball.”
Next to Crawford, Rioli and Mitchell join in the fun. Mitchell, captain of the 2008 premiership team, is placed next to ‘Crawf’ because in 2005, David Parkin advised Mitchell to shadow Crawford during training to improve his fitness and skill level.
Mitchell took Parkin’s advice, and improved his game and become an elite footballer as a result. Under his right boot is a squashed cat’s tail - representing Geelong, the team Hawthorn beat in the 2008 Grand Final. In the foreground, John ‘The Rat’ Platten is primed to plant a kiss on his captain, and AFL games record holder, Michael Tuck. With a record seven premierships, Tuck takes his false teeth out for the romantic embrace and has a can of beer stashed in pocket of his jacket.
Next to that pair, Robert Di Pierdomenico hugs the 1986 premiership cup - a significant year in which he was awarded the 1986 Brownlow Medal - as flamboyant centre-half back Peter Knights pours champagne over him. A keen observer will notice Geelong’s Gary Hocking’s teeth embedded in ‘Dipper’s’ elbow - a war wound from the 1989 Grand Final, in which the Hawks’ wingman played out the game with a punctured lung.
In the background of the scene is a trio of number 23s. Lance Franklin, Dermott Brereton and Don Scott are big time players. They are players whom an era was built, but all three are very different characters. ‘Buddy’, effortlessly talented, is casually spinning the ball on the end of his finger. ‘Dermie’. Who was ruthlessly tough, always got in the face of his opponent and there he is pictured full of confidence and bravado. The true eccentric Don Scott, who was notoriously tough, brave, loyal and difficult, is sitting back casting a skeptical eye on the whole scene. The 1971 premiership ruckman stands beside his open locker, in which hangs an embroided denim jacket, a cravat and blue leather boots, items synonymous with the 70s fashionists.
Next to Scott sits backman Chris Mew - quiet, laid back, happy to relax and let his teammates carry on. Mew holds a set of lime green car keys in his hand as he had a ‘kermit’ green Falcon, which spirited him off quickly back to his home on the Mornington Peninsula after games and training.
Another laidback character and Mornington Peninsula resident, Kelvin Moore sits next to defender Mew. Sporting his trademark frown and worried look, Moore has his car keys in his hand too as he was always eager to get back home to Frankston. Alongside Moore, two great premiership captains in Leigh Matthews and Graham Arthur take a well-earned rest. Graham ‘Mort’ Arthur the Cub’s first premiership captain proudly cradles the 1961 cup.
‘Lethal’ gives a rare smile, and on close inspection you’ll notice his moustache and mouth are covered in blood. Infamously regarded as the toughest man in football, Matthews was king-hit by St Kilda’s Stewie Trott who broke the Lethal’s nose and loosened a few teeth. As Trott stood over a dazed Matthews, taunting him, ‘Lethal’ staggered to his feet, still half conscious, cupped his hands in front of his face to catch the flowing blood, looked at Trott, smiled and licked his hands clean.
Behind Arthur, star forwards Peter Hudson and Jason Dunstall embrace as the mercurial Darren Jarman puts a beer in both their hands. Widely recognized as one of the most skillful players of his era, Jarman was Dunstall’s favourite player to receive delivery from. ‘Huddo’ has blood dripping down from the left side of his face from an injury to his ear sustained by St Kilda’s Kevin ‘Cowboy’ Neale in the 1971 Grand Final.
With his leg draped over the massage bench, Gary Buckenara rounds out the forward trio’s tryst. The West Australian injured his knee in the 1983 Grand Final. On the end of season trip that year teammates say ‘Bucky’ complained so much how tough it was going to be to come back from such a devastating injury he was nicknamed Ben Hogan. Hogan was a professional golfer who severely damaged his leg in a car accident and returned after extensive rehabilitation to win a major championship.
Behind the three forwards, Rodney Eade, the court jester cheekily places a helmet Dunstall loathed to wear back on the forward’s magnificent mullet. Beside Eade, fullback Chris Langford proudly waves his Guernsey above his head as he did in the ‘merger match’ in the final round of the 1996 season to protest the Club’s proposed merger with Melbourne.
In the front right-hand corner of the painting, courageous and durable defender Andy Collins pumps his fist into the air, in which he holds a bottle of ‘serious tablets’. He was said to be an intense character and was nicknamed ‘tablets’ - which was a shorten version of serious tablets. Seventh on the AFL’s list of most consecutive games played (189), the tough back pocket player is pictured tipping the container out, as it is time to celebrate.
The Ultimate Premiership team mural.
Hawthorn Football Club celebrating 150 years mural as seen from the HawksNest door
