Sunday Session: Dermott Brereton 25 years on after Mark Yeates hit in 1989 Grand Final

DERMOTT Brereton reflects on the 1989 Grand Final, how his Hawks would fare against the Lions of the early 2000s and why he loves Jonathan Brown.

TWENTY-FIVE years ago, Dermott Brereton entered Grand Final folklore.

He suffered two broken ribs and a ruptured kidney after being blindsided by Geelong’s Mark Yeates at the first bounce.

Vomiting blood and in excruciating agony, the five-time premiership Hawk somehow took a strong mark and kicked a goal minutes later, setting the scene for his side’s gripping win in arguably the greatest Grand Final ever played.

He reflects on that game, how his champion Hawks would fare against the Lions of the early 2000s and why he loves Jonathan Brown.

Greg Davis: Can you believe that 25 years have passed since that Grand Final?

Dermott Brereton: Yes, I can. I actually saw Yeatesy the other day and it’s fair to say we’ve both weathered a little bit, so yeah.

Brereton is crunched by Yeates at the opening bounce of the 1989 Grand Final.

Talk me through the first five minutes of the game.

We lined up and charged in to try and make a contest. I took off at a good clip and watched the ball get kicked in the opposite direction, then saw Yeatesy coming at me, which is all she wrote.

How much warning did you have that you were about to get smashed?

I saw him very briefly ... maybe a second. Just enough time to hold my breath before impact.

How close were you to not playing on?

We had a few that went down so it was good that I did stay out there. Dipper (Robert DiPierdomenico) had the broken rib and the punctured lung after Ablett (Gary Ablett Sr) speared him in the back in a marking contest that would get you seven weeks suspension for these days. Johnny Platten was concussed. Gary Ayres tore his quad, Darren Pritchard was hurt too. There were a couple of others that were hurt. I had the two broken ribs and a laceration in the kidney that measured about half a centimetre. We were hurting.

Breretin in a scuffle with Geelong's Spiro Malakellis and Steven Hocking.

What goes through your head when you see the iconic vision of you wincing in agony after the Yeates hit?

I don’t think about the incident in isolation anymore. It’s the imagery of that game as a whole. When anybody asks me about 1989, I think of the sublime skill of Gary Ablett with his nine goals, to the war of attrition that it was, starting when I got knocked over and managed to get up again. It has stood the test of time.

Is it the best Grand Final ever? It was remarkable scoring, 21.18 (144) to 21.12 (138).

The thing is we were regarded as a very good defensive team. It was all one-on-one then, there was no flooding or extra men back in defence. We still gave up more than 20-odd goals and needed to kick almost 150 points to win the thing, which was just unbelievable.

Brereton is attended to by trainers and medical staff after the opening bounce.

How would the Hawthorn team of your era go against the great Lions side of the early 2000s or the Geelong team that won three flags between 2007 and 2011?

If you look at State of Origin football at the time, our backline provided four or five of the starting back six for the Victorian team pretty much every year. We had Johnny Platten in the middle, who I regard as the best player I ever played with in that era of eight grand finals and five flags, and we had the highest goalkicking combination of all time with myself and Jason Dunstall as key forwards. I reckon we’d go all right.

We’ve touched on the exploits of Gary Ablett Sr, has his son surpassed him in terms of greatness?

I saw Gary Sr do freakish things that Lance Franklin or Cyril Rioli could only dream of doing. His son is a totally different type of player but he has won a couple of premierships and a couple of Brownlows. Gary Jr might just about be the greatest midfielder of all time. I thought Chris Judd was the best I’ve seen since my playing days were done but Gaz has gone past him now. He might just about be past the old man too.

Brereton at the Glenferrie Oval after the Hawks won the 1988 Grand Final.

Will Gary Ablett Jr win his third Brownlow on Monday night or does Joel Selwood pip him at the post, given Gaz missed seven games?

I reckon Gaz wins. If Joel is to win or Robbie Gray or Jordan Lewis for that matter, they are going to have to finish with a number with “3” in front of it. It will be a midfielder anyway, it’s always a midfielder. It’s never a forward.

Grand Final day this Saturday will feature a star-studded list of retiring players doing laps of the MCG on the back of utes, including Brisbane’s Jonathan Brown. How do you rate Browny, who loves to say he is in the centre half-forward’s leadership group with you and Wayne Carey?

Two great centre half-forwards: Jonathon Brown and Brereton. Picture: Regina King

Actually the three of us have got together a few times over the years. Duck (Carey) likes to ask me how it feels to be the third-best centre half-forward there. I respond by asking how he feels about being the third most successful in terms of premierships. He doesn’t giggle as much at that question. I’ve got them both covered when it comes to flags anyway (laughs). Browny is my favourite footballer and has been for a long time. He is everything you want in a person, in a clubman and a footballer. He is hard, he is tough, he is focused and wonderfully skilled. He boots goals and puts the fear of God into the opposition. What’s not to love?

Is he the last of the old school centre half-forwards to hang up the boots?

I reckon he is. The way the game is played has changed, so the blokes in that position can’t play the role the same way. The intellect that goes into playing the position has gone a bit now. You are more of a target that runs up and down the ground to try to stretch out your opponent. Browny’s movement, guile, agility and football craftsmanship made him one of a kind, so it is the end of an era in that way.

Originally published as Sunday Session: Dermott Brereton 25 years on after Mark Yeates hit in 1989 Grand Final