AFL 2022: Hawthorn 1991 Norm Smith Medallist Paul Dear has lost a long battle with cancer

Former Hawthorn footballer Paul Dear who lost a long battle with pancreatic cancer overnight was best known for playing the game of his life on the biggest stage, the 1991 grand final.

Paul Dear playing for Hawthorn.

Hawks flag hero loses long battle with cancer

Hawthorn is mourning the loss of its 1991 Norm Smith Medallist and premiership hero Paul Dear who has passed away after a brave fight against pancreatic cancer, aged 55.

Dear was diagnosed with the aggressive form of cancer in September 2020.

He and his family helped to set up a campaign called Dare to Hope to raise awareness and funds in support of others impacted by pancreatic cancer.

Dear’s passing comes as the Hawks prepare for Sunday week’s Dare to Hope Match against West Coast at the MCG. That game will generate vital money for the dedicated Dare to Hope: Paul Dear Pancreatic Cancer Fund.

He is survived by his wife and soulmate Cherie, and their four children Harry, Nate, Maya and Calsher.

Paul Dear with wife Cherie. Picture : Nicki Connolly

Cherie posted a message on social media saying: “It is with a very heavy heart that I share with our Insta community that my darling Paul said goodbye to us at 6.59pm (Friday night).

“On Wednesday night we piled into his favourite old car which represented him so well and went for what we didn’t know was his last sunset at one of our favourite places. Like what was often his way, he sat peacefully and quietly and took it all in.

“On Thursday he spent the whole day sitting outside, enjoying the blue skies and warm sun of the Melbourne winter. I’m so proud of our beautiful family who helped me ensure that we could give him what he wanted - passing peacefully at home, completely enveloped in love and comfort.”

Dear’s greatest football moment came in the 1991 Grand Final when, as a 24-year-old, he helped to swing the match in the Hawks’ favour in the only premiership playoff at Waverley.

As he later said, he was perfectly suited by the wide, open spaces of the ground and he was critical in turning the tide against West Coast, kicking two goals and having 26 telling disposals across half forward.

The Hawks had trailed by four goals midway through the first quarter when Dear kicked their first goal of the game, and he would have nine disposals in a dominant second term to get his side back in the match.

He won the game’s best afield honours, the Norm Smith Medal, saying at the time he was living out a childhood dream.

Dear was one of Hawthorn’s most popular players of his era, having played 123 games and kicked 80 goals from 1987 to 1996.

The younger brother of another Hawk premiership player Greg Dear, he played in the Hawks’ losing Grand Final in 1987 in his ninth game.

But he was unable to win selection in the Hawks’ 1988-89 flags and was often on the cusp of selection when named emergency.

Paul Dear played the game of his career on the biggest stage, taking home the Norm Smith Medal in the 1991 Hawthorn grand final victory over West Coast.

But with trademark tenacity, he fought back hard to make his mark in the early 1990s, culminating in his best afield performance on the game’s biggest stage in 1991.

In an interview with the Sunday Herald Sun last year, Dear said: “I’ve always had a very simple philosophy in life. When your time’s up, your time’s up. I’ve never worried about dying. Everyone is going to die, it’s just a matter of when. Our reflection was very much along the lines of, let’s not focus on the dying, let’s focus on living.”

Dear’s teammate Dermott Brereton said on SEN: “We loved Paul … (he was a) Norm Smith medallist but he was just a damn good bloke.”

Dear’s football legacy will never be forgotten, but he and his wife Cherie’s dedication to raising awareness for pancreatic cancer will prove just as profound.

Originally published as AFL 2022: Hawthorn 1991 Norm Smith Medallist Paul Dear has lost a long battle with cancer