Open Mike: Barry Stoneham on Malcolm Blight’s infamous plan to smash Dermott Brereton in the 1989 Grand Final

GEELONG champion Barry Stoneham says teammate Mark Yeates jumped at the chance to get one back on Dermott Brereton when Malcolm Blight devised a plan to take the Hawk star out of the 1989 Grand Final.

GEELONG champion Barry Stoneham says teammate Mark Yeates jumped at the chance to get one back on Dermott Brereton when Malcolm Blight devised the now infamous, but failed plan to take the Hawk star out of the 1989 Grand Final.

Stoneham, set to appear on Fox Footy’s Open Mike tonight, said Blight hatched the plan to hit Brereton at the first bounce in an effort to prevent him from taking out some of the Cats’ stars.

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Dermott Brereton is assisted by club medics after being smashed by Mark Yeates at the first bounce of the 1989 grand final.

“Blighty, during the week (before the Grand Final), said to our team, ‘Dermott’s got a reputation of obviously great player, champion and a great bloke, but he also can try and pick of some blokes at (the) centre square in the big games’,” Stoneham said.

“So he said ‘we want to protect Paul Couch and Mark Bairstow and Gary Hocking and we’ve got to prevent him doing that and get him first, is anyone actually putting their hand up?’

“Before he actually finished the question, Yeatesy said ‘Yeah, I will’, due to the fact of probably 10 weeks before that when he put him out of action.”

Brereton had smashed Yeates in Round 6 of that season and Stoneham, who booted 223 goals in 241 games, said every Cat was aware of the retribution.

Brereton was in agony, but went forward and ended up kicking three goals for the match.

Barry Stoneham grapples with Greg Dear and Chris Mew during the 1989 Grand Final.

We went into the game, we all knew it was going to happen, didn’t know how well it would go or otherwise,” he said.

“Yeatesy, he got him beautifully with a real hip and shoulder, down the front, but to Dermott’s credit, he got back up and kicked two goals (in the first term).”

History says it didn’t go well for Geelong, the Hawks winning the premiership by a single goal, after Brereton — suffering two broken ribs and a punctured lung — went forward and kicked three.

Blight would later say he regretted the plan and Yeates and Brereton have since buried the hatchet of sorts, but it remains one of the most famous — or infamous — incidents in VFL/AFL history.

*Open Mike is on Fox Footy, 8.30pm, Tuesday night.

Geelong hard man Mark Yeates did not hesitate when given the chance to square up with Dermott Brereton.

Barry Stoneham captained Geelong and played more than 200 games for the club.

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