1985 VFL Grand Final

The 1985 VFL Grand Final took place on September 28, 1985 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground between VFL clubs Essendon and Hawthorn. It was the third year in a row that the two clubs met each other in the premiership decider and it would be Essendon victorious to claim back to back flags. The Grand Final is often remembered for a brawl which broke out soon after the opening bounce. It was Leigh Matthew's last game of football but it was his forward partner Dermott Brereton who starred for Hawthorn with eight goals, the most ever in a losing Grand Final side (a record that stood until Gary Ablett's nine goals in Geelong's losing '89 grand final against Hawthorn). Paul Salmon kicked six goals for Essendon and Roger Merrett five. The Bombers scored a record 69 points in the final quarter.

Teams

Aussie rules team| title = Essendon
backpocket1 = Mark Thompson
fullback = Paul Weston
backpocket2 = Billy Duckworth
halfbackflank1 = Garry Foulds
centrehalfback = Kevin Walsh
halfbackflank2 = Glenn Hawker
wing1 = Bryan Wood
centre = Tim Watson
wing2 = Neil Clarke
halfforwardflank1 = Terry Daniher (c)
centrehalfforward = Roger Merrett
halfforwardflank2 = Mark Harvey
forwardpocket1 = Leon Baker
fullforward = Paul Salmon
forwardpocket2 = Paul Van Der Haar
ruck = Simon Madden
ruckrover = Darren Williams
rover = Tony Elshaug
interchange1 = Stephen Carey
interchange2 = Alan Ezard
interchange3 =
interchange4 =
interchange5 =
interchange6 =
coach = Kevin Sheedy

Aussie rules team| title = Hawthorn
backpocket1 = Gary Ayres
fullback = Chris Mew
backpocket2 = Peter Schwab
halfbackflank1 = Russell Morris
centrehalfback = Rod Lester-Smith
halfbackflank2 = Russell Greene
wing1 = Robert DiPierdomenico
centre = Terry Wallace
wing2 = Peter Russo
halfforwardflank1 = John Kennedy
centrehalfforward = Dermott Brereton
halfforwardflank2 = Ken Judge
forwardpocket1 = Michael McCarthy
fullforward = Jason Dunstall
forwardpocket2 = Leigh Matthews (c)
ruck = Chris Langford
ruckrover = Robert Handley
rover = Richard Loveridge
interchange1 = Michael Tuck
interchange2 = David O'Halloran
interchange3 =
interchange4 =
interchange5 =
interchange6 =
coach = Allan Jeans

tatistics

Goalkickers

Attendance

* MCG crowd - 100,042

Norm Smith Medal

Essendon ruckman Simon Madden won the Norm Smith Medal.

References

* "The Official statistical history of the AFL 2004"
* Ross, J. (ed), "100 Years of Australian Football 1897-1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported", Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. ISBN 0-670-86814-0

ee also

* 1985 VFL season