1989 VFL Grand Final - Hawthorn Vs Geelong (Extended Highlights)

Enjoy these extended highlights of a grand final that is widely regarded as the greatest of all time. Hawthorn were aiming to get back-to-back premierships for the first time, and were in their 7th consecutive Grand Final. Geelong were heavy underdogs going into the match, but under the mercurial coaching of Malcolm Blight, and with Gary Ablett in top-form, they were always a chance.
1989 VFL Grand Final Extended Highlights
Date: 30 September 1989 2:50PM
Venue: MCG (Attendance: 94,796)
Coverage: Channel 7
Commentators: Dennis Cometti, Ian Robertson, Don Scott
Hawthorn 21.18 (144) def. Geelong 21.12 (138)

[@TBoneTony]

One of the best games of the VFL era. Back when the game was tough and sometimes brutal if you ended up on the wrong side of a hard bump.

[@Daarms]

These people were a different breed

[@RafaelSmith-dp5ti]

Facts

[@78macka]

The Greatest Game Of All Time

[@bennettcain635]

Wow.... what a game of football... 42 goals.30 points scored in a GF... Ablett kicked 27 in the finals from memory...in just 3 games. Unbelievable era in our great game.

[@TheCleaner76]

27 in 4 games

[@TBoneTony]

Gary Ablett for Geelong with his 9 Goals and 1 Behind for the Grand Final is the highest ever goal/behind tally for any player in a VFL/AFL Grand Final. Beating out Gordon Coventry's 9 Goals straight that he scored during one of Collingwood's premierships they won during the late 1920s from my memory after a while reading the Grand Final books. (Note that VFL Commentators on TV forgot to look up the history books during the 80s because there were times when Kevin Bartlett kicked 7 Goals for Richmond in 1980, Dermot Brereton kicked 8 in 1985 and those were considered the Goal Kicking Record for a Grand Final until someone finally searched for the record books dated back in the 1920s to discover that Gordon Coventry had kicked 9 goals before anyone realized it)

[@raleigh98]

The reason they 'forgot' was because officially Grand Finals only began in 1931 with the introduction of the Paige-McIntyre finals system. Previously, Minor Premiers had a right to challenge again if they lost under the Argus system, and those challenge matches were not considered in the same boat as Grand Finals.

[@samueljonis434]

@@raleigh98 that is true, and it certainly confused the record books. From my time following football in 1974 until Brereton's 8 goals in the 85 GF, they NEVER mentioned Coventry's 9 goals. They only mentioned the 7 goals kicked by a handful of players. After 1985, they started to mention Coventry's bag.

[@cameronbarrow6834]

What about abletts 14 goal game?

[@TBoneTony]

@@cameronbarrow6834 Well that could be 3 different games, the 14 Goals against Richmond in 1989 that unfortunately wasn't televised. The 14 Goals against Essendon in 1993 that was a classic game where the Cats lost after Essendon kicked the last 6 goals in the final 10 minutes. The 14 Goals against Sydney in 1994 a one sided game back when the Swans were struggling in those days. My guess was the classic Essendon game in 1993 that the Cats should have won if only they didn't fail in the last 10 minutes of the match, when Ablett kicked his 14th goal the Cats were 12 points up (2 Goal lead) and still lost. But even then, it changed the season around for Essendon and they ended up winning the Premiership later on that year.

[@planetX15]

@@TBoneTony Just curious, which team do you follow?

[@kenmorris2508]

Best grand final ever. Alot of legends in this game. Tough, fair and how a grand final should be played.

[@superbuddyfranklin]

5:36 Great movement.

[@whocares6238]

Will never see a scoreline like that again in a grand final.

[@adandap]

Thanks for posting this. That was one of my favourite days at the footy ever, even though I didn't support either side. And you did a great job editing the package.

[@raleigh98]

You're welcome, pleased to hear you enjoyed the video

[@afltube]

Great Video! Well done for adding the scoreboard as well. Carn the Hawks!

[@bradhewetson]

If only our great game goodbye as it was then-the legends who made if only the power should be might understand and recognise-it is because of this match-has grown to become the best most fantastic game in the world!.

[@twentyrothmans7308]

This was a fantastic game, enhanced by HG and Roy's commentary.

[@kohde1772]

Can’t believe you still can get this

[@craiglo1181]

What a gutsy game this was. Cheers for posting it

[@shanegriffin8682]

I have so much respect for that Hawthorn side of 1983 to 1981. I doubt that we'll see a team play seven grand finals in a row again. Geelong tried every dirty trick in the book in this game, but the Hawks still prevailed. I frankly don't think we'll ever see a team, that will better that Hawks side of the 80's. I say this as a non Hawthorn fan as well.

[@andymcrae4661]

Typical arrogant hawthorn supporter pretending not to be

[@tommybhoy]

A classic back in the days when footy was still worth watching proper men playing and proper goal umpires in their traditional coats adding to the drama.

[@BigOmes1]

This is one of the best Grand Finals ever. Great Upload.. Ah, go the Hawks

[@jogreeen]

Geelong spent the first 1/4 trying to knock cuntz out, Hawks got away playing footy.

[@isawthat5438]

42 goals in a grand final crazy, and one of the hardest.

[@user-bd9dz8es9i]

What a game eh😮

[@MrTripcore]

It's the low number of free kicks that made this a high scoring game

[@darrenlock9530]

Footy was better back then plus commentary!!! Miss it!!

[@graceallthorpe5343]

Wow i love it when you post geelong vids! please post 2007 GF highlights- focusing solely on Andrew Mackie

[@Ghost1218]

Hawks lead 40 points in the 1st quarter amazing game

[@ryanbasilio9548]

1 more min and Hawthorn might have been toast.

[@bishgroundwork3089]

tough game

[@sliat1981]

I just want to see the opening footage of Dermott being moved without it being in slow motion

[@robzygrey6248]

The cats with all the dirty plays, still couldn't beat the mighty hawks

[@melthoidserendipity1332]

LOL...yes there was no one dirty in the Hawks team

[@literacylabyrinth4018]

Still cant get over assassin Yeats crunching target Brereton. It was a blatant assassination. Yeats admitted it on air

[@carlhaby]

Ablett bump on dirty Dippa was gold (8.10).

[@stevenprice6957]

Yeah dippers hit on hocking was platinum. He was sniping all day as was Bruns and Bews. What a collect that was. Had hocking played football it could have been a different result. Them again Plattern wouldn’t have been knocked out twice and he alone would have put space on the dirty cats.

[@superbuddyfranklin]

23:00 Dipper strikes

[@macgregordawson3164]

17:50 Was that a goal to Brownless? Could swear I saw the ball pass in *front* of the goalpost, not behind.

[@stevenprice6957]

Yeah that’s a made up myth by Billy himself i think. I Paused it to actually check the facts of it. Clear point and also have a look at the fans behind who had the best view. They didn’t budge. It went behind the post and it’s clear as day.

[@superbuddyfranklin]

17:17 That's Cat man from Geelong as a kitten.

[@melthoidserendipity1332]

It's actually quite a frustrating game. Geelong clearly had no defensive ability in this game at all. There's one play when FOUR Hawthorn players are standing in the goal square with the ball and raffling it as to who was going to kick the goal. Virtually all of Geelong's star on-ballers were put out of business, the backmen were slaughtered apart from Lindner (Bos got a hiding from Dunstall and Brereton with cracked ribbs still got 3 on Hocking), the forwards were generally beaten (Scott was terrible and Stoneham rarely played well against Hawthorn) and they relied time and time again on individual efforts. For them to be still 7 goals behind halfway through the third quarter was equally frustrating. For a Grand Final it's utterly bizarre how Geelong stayed in the game. Ablett and an extraordinary effort by Flannigan with Bews and Bruns and the talent of Lindner (whose opponent still got 4 goals). It's also interesting to watch what was going on behind the play as there were hits going on everywhere. I thought the female Batman gave the Cats a lot of run in the last qtr. It's hardly surprising that both teams had an average year the following year and then an excellent 1991. This game must have drained both clubs mentally and physically for a fair while. A shame we didn't get to see what happened to Ayres. Someone must have driven a Kenworth truck through him to make him go off

[@westcoastguy3224]

Geelong were still in the game because Hawthorn were just as shit as Geelong that day...the only reason why Hawthon won was because of the Umpires and the shocking effort by the Geelong defenders...if the Umpires had a decent game and the Geelong defenders played somewhat decent Geelong would have won by about 8 goals

[@stevenprice6957]

Yeah the reason Geelong kept coming and hawthorn stopped were a number of reasons. Having the best roving runner being knocked out by hocking early would cut a teams run down add to that, Ablett busting dipper and slowing him to a walk after he dominated early. Luckily hawthorn had Pritchard who ran the lines still out there. They tried to knock his block off too. Kennedy was hit in the head. Dermott. The list goes on. Ayres was a ripped thigh muscle with his last kick. He went into the game injured as he did a lot on grand finals. Won 2 norms and first with a hamstring that the club took a risk on that it would rip at anytime. 1986. In 1988 got a broken cheekbone first quarter from Jimmy Stynes and yeah win it again. Had the Cats had a better defensive mind set and hawthorns injuries taking toll they could have won. The match ups from blight were baffling. After Dermott got hit he couldn’t run so why have a ground player in hocking on him instead of Shultz who actually started on him? Stupid move by a smart man. He wasn’t going to our mark Shultz as easy as he did against hocking. The team that went the ball won and the team that went the man lost. Great game. As was round 6 that year at princess park. That was the best game I’ve seen.

[@stevenprice6957]

@@westcoastguy3224lol. Yeah ok. That’s the biggest load of crap I’ve heard this month. Umpires haha. How’s those eagles going ? Fitzroy at its worst would smash the eagles of today. Never seen such a pathetic club.

[@melthoidserendipity1332]

Yep. Shame Exell was injured and couldn't play as I think he kicked about 9 in the round 6 clash. Worst game Mew ever played (after being knocked out the week before) and maybe the best game Dean Anderson ever played. Shame we don't get scores like this anymore

[@desfletch]

@@melthoidserendipity1332 Yeah , four great goals from Dean Anderson. Another under-rated player.

[@farmercraig6080]

I forgot Hawthorne lead by 40 points.

[@superbuddyfranklin]

27:27

[@westcoastguy3224]

Maybe one day we'll see Ablett jump over the ruck goal from a different camera angle First goal of the second quarter Stoneham kicks the goal but gets told to take it again...that was weird lol Hawthorn last goal of the first quarter resulted from Lindner being called to play on when clearly he didn't...Umpiring mistake that was and Hawthorn won by a goal lol

[@stevenprice6957]

The last goal first quarter was a touched ball that Lindner took, hence you see Bucky look at the umpire and he calls play on.

[@westcoastguy3224]

@@stevenprice6957 lol

[@noirjacques3274]

Geelong is out of the contest for most of the match if you periodically skim through the footage, seen at least half a dozen better GF’s since!

[@RCT1963]

Agreed. The action is intense but Hawthorn led by 4-5 goals for the majority of the game.

[@petertrezise4545]

Overrated Grand Final

[@CursoryMercenary]

I reckon Geelong lost 20 more seconds of time at the end there. Horrific time-keeping.

[@samueljonis434]

Do you mean when Cameron was lining up? You think the clock should have stopped? That is not how it works.

[@TheCleaner76]

Let it go mate

[@gregfrancavilla3279]

He should have played on and got the easy goal instead of taking a free kick

[@CursoryMercenary]

@@samueljonis434 No after the goal was kicked the clock kept ticking for 10 or more seconds.

[@savvastzionis9112]

@@CursoryMercenary Good point! I just timed it myself. But if my memory serves me right, this happened quite often in other games. They seemed to take forever to stop the clock in many games.

[@sliat1981]

Great game. Shame there was such a dirty end to the season with Ross Oakley and his Fitzroy bulldogs shit. Fortunately the people power won

[@sexobscura]

Close to THE best match of the decade

[@westcoastguy3224]

Ablett gets smashed in the head by Ayres right in front of goal but no free kick lol

[@stevenprice6957]

Body hit in the high chest. Actor Ablett was milking.

[@westcoastguy3224]

@@stevenprice6957 Not really...clear high bump...also just a second before that Collins takes clear possession then gets tackled by Ablett and just completely drops it lol...so free kick to Ablett right in front of goal

[@bjvan2003]

The greatest gf in my lifetime!

[@fosdyke71]

Most overrated Grand final in history. Sure it was high scoring but the game wasn't even close for three quarters. Geelong made a run in the last quarter but were never going to win. There was only 10 seconds left after they kicked their last goal. They blew it with their stupid tough guy act in the first quarter and ended up six goals down. Game over.

[@georgelee229]

What a ridiculous 50m penalty Dunstall got rewarded for. Should of been a draw.

[@westcoastguy3224]

To rub salt in the wound Ablett got smashed in the head right in front of goal and it was play on lol

[@stevenprice6957]

@@westcoastguy3224go eagles lol. Move on dopey. How’s your club going ? How was 1991? Got beaten by old men. How was the final in the west when hawks showed the eagles what it was all about. Lucky you had a weak club like Geelong to pick off in 92.

[@stevenprice6957]

Lol. You must be kidding. He jumped on him smashing his head.

[@westcoastguy3224]

@@stevenprice6957 lol...You're the dopey one...wasn't the 1991 Grand Final played at Hawthorn home ground?...so an unfair home ground advantage to win a premiership is hardly fair so I have no idea why you would bring that up...the Eagles beat Hawthorn on the way to the premiership in 1992

[@TheJonkerr7]

havent watched this for some time but one thing hasnt changed much, Cats are still kissed on the dick by the umpires.

[@desfletch]

While @glenscholes9213 below says the umps favoured Hawthorn. They must've been fair then.

[@glenscholes9213]

Dorks looked after by umps, but Cats deserve misery