Hawthorn 13.16.94 d Footscray 7.9.51

Coach: John Kennedy Snr
Captain: Graham Arthur

Backs: Reg Poole (29), Les Kaine (1), Graham Cooper (10)
Half-backs: Sted Hay (20), John McArthur (28), Cam McPherson (26)
Centres: Col Youren (30), Brendan Edwards (9), John Fisher (5)
Half-forwards: Ian Mort (14), Garry Young (31), Morton Browne (4)
Forwards: Malcolm Hill (11), John Peck (23), Jack Cunningham (19)
Followers: John Winneke (12), Graham Arthur (2), Ian Law (7)

Reserves: Ron Nalder (3), Phil Hay (22)

Goals: Browne 3, Law 2, Mort 2, Arthur 1, Cunningham 1, Edwards 1, Hill 1, Nalder 1,
Peck 1

Best Players: Edwards, Fisher, Hill, Law, Mort, Peck, Winneke

Umpire: Frank Schwab

Attendance: 107,935 (at MCG, Saturday, September 23, 1961)

Hawthorn’s first premiership after 37 years in the VFL/AFL was a turning point for the Club and the game itself. Coach John Kennedy Snr had developed a super-fit team through relentless training, with a team plan to play on at all costs.
As minor premiers, the Hawks had proved their worth by beating Melbourne who had won five of the previous six premierships in the Second Semi Final.
To the surprise of most, Footscray won the Preliminary Final to make the 1961 Grand Final a clash of two clubs that had joined the League in 1925. After a poor first half, the Hawks were lucky to only trail by nine points at the long interval.
However, they were revitalized in the third quarter, hitting the front within three minutes and slamming on 6.6 to 1.0 for the term. It remained one-way traffic in the last quarter as the super-fit Hawks ran away with the game, cruising home to win by 43 points to claim the Club’s first Premiership.
Brendan Edwards had 33 kicks in a best-on-ground performance with strong support from John Peck when he was moved into the ruck for the second half.