1989: The Great Grand Final

The 1989 Grand Final between Hawthorn and Geelong is considered one of the greatest of all. Hawthorn, seeking to go back-to-back for the first time was against a Geelong team that had not been in a Grand Final since 1967. The match had everything: unbridled violence, high scoring, Gary Ablett’s nine goals, and a Geelong fightback that saw it claw back a six-goal deficit at the last change to lose by a goal. At the end of the match, had it been a draw, a dozen players could not have turned out for the rematch. Injuries included broken ribs, multiple concussions, ripped muscles, punctured lungs.

In 1989: The Great Grand Final, Tony Wilson takes a look back on one of the most spectacular games in footy history. 

Tony Wilson is a versatile writer, best known for his children’s books, and his novel Players (2005) that satirised The Footy Show. He wrote the story of Australia’s World Cup in Germany (Australia United, 2006) for Slattery Media. In 1989, he was a player in the Hawthorn Under 19s, and has been a life-long Hawthorn supporter. He has great relationships with the players in both sides of the 1989 classic. His father, Ray, is a Hawthorn best and fairest winner, and played in the 1971 Hawthorn Premiership team.

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