SACKED: Stuart Dew’s remarkable transformation that led to 2008 Grand Final heroics

Andrew Russell has laid bare the extraordinary physical transformation Stuart Dew underwent before the few minutes of mayhem that won the Hawks the 2008 premiership.

Former Hawthorn head of high performance Andrew Russell has laid bare the extraordinary physical transformation Stuart Dew underwent before he helped to turn the 2008 grand final on its head in a matter of minutes.

Russell could not even recognise Dew – who had been retired from Port Adelaide for a season – when Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson first devised a contentious plan to resurrect the booming left-footer’s AFL career in late 2007.

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Dew’s few minutes of mayhem helped the Hawks win the 2008 flag.

And when they first spoke, Russell, who had worked closely with Dew at the Power, insisted he lose the best part of 20 kilos before he even started running with the Hawks.

Russell would not reveal how much weight Dew lost between that first meeting with Clarkson at Waverley in late August 2007 and 2008 grand final day.

But this masthead believes it was around 30 kilos.

“He (Dew) played at 100, or 99 (kilos) on grand final day,” Russell said.

“It was a big experiment right up until grand final day. It was a big experiment right up until even the third quarter (of that game).”

Russell also revealed for the first time that Dew suffered a hamstring strain during that fabled third quarter.

But Dew remained on the field, kicking two goals in the space of five minutes and combining with Cyril Rioli to produce a quarter that has gone down in grand final folklore.

“When a guy says he is done, ‘I’m finished’, most of the time they’re done, they’re finished,” Russell said.

“It was August or September before he was drafted (as pick 45 in late 2007), and I walked into (the Waverley) cafe. Clarko was in the cafe with someone.

“I didn’t recognise him. He (Dew) used to call me ‘Scotty’ and I’d call him ‘Scotty’. Clarko goes to me: ‘Hey Scotty, It’s Scotty. It’s Scotty Dew’.

“I said, ‘That is not Stewy Dew. What’s going on, mate? I didn’t even recognise you’.

“Clarko said: ‘He’s gonna play footy’. I said: ‘Oh, you’re f------ kidding me’. There is no way you are playing footy next year’.”

Russell set Dew strict parameters around his training, telling Clarkson he didn’t want the 28-year-old to run until he significantly got his weight down.

“So Clarko goes to work with him. Clarko is the one that goes for walks with him, goes for bike rides with him,” he said. “(Dew) really committed and he committed hard. He had a crack. He was still above his playing weight at Port Adelaide, but he was pretty decent.

“And his best day was grand final day.

“He was such a smart footballer. What he did at Footy Park, the amount of goals I saw him kick from 50 or 60, he had speed and he had power. The players loved him.”

Russell and Clarkson put Dew through a strict fitness regiment before he came to the Hawks. Picture: Matt Turner

Russell detailed the frantic moments in the third term of that 2008 grand final when, as runner, he ran out to move Dew to a wing, on the orders of Clarkson.

“I go out to get Dewy to go to the wing, and he says to me: ‘I’ve just done my hamstring’. And he goes: ‘I can’t run’. I don’t know why I said it, it was just completely in the moment … I just said: ‘Just go forward and run away from the ball, create space for everyone else’.

“Anyway, he goes forward and he kicks two goals (at the 21 and 26-minute-marks of the third quarter as the Hawks went five goals clear).

“I got back to the bench and Clarko is screaming at me. I said: ‘He can’t run’.

“We had a stressful grand final day because we had some other issues. Croady (Trent Croad) went down with his foot early, then we had Chance Bateman come off with his shoulder, and Clinton Young came off. At one stage, we had one on the bench.”

Originally published as SACKED: Stuart Dew’s remarkable transformation that led to 2008 Grand Final heroics