In 2021 Hawthorn celebrates the anniversaries of its 1961, 1971 and 1991 premierships. The Mighty Fighting Hawks Premiership Reunion will honour the 60th, 50th and 30th anniversaries of these premierships and give fans the opportunity to hear stories from the greats who contributed to these pivotal moments in the club’s history.
As the Hawks prepare to take on West Coast in Round 8, the infamous ‘Batmobile’ that graced Waverley Park on Grand Final day in 1991 made its return to the venue for the first time to launch the event.
Hawthorn’s 1961 premiership was a hugely significant moment in the club’s history. It was the club’s first Grand Final appearance as well as its first premiership since joining the VFL in 1925. With John Kennedy Senior as coach and Graham Arthur as captain, the pair led Hawthorn to a comfortable win over the Western Bulldogs to bring home the club’s first premiership cup. John Kennedy laid the foundation of the family club values at Hawthorn and his legacy lives on six decades later.
Touted as one of the toughest grand finals ever played, John Kennedy Senior once again led the Hawks to victory as senior coach in the 1971 Grand Final. Hawthorn Legend Peter Hudson entered the match as the league’s leading goal kicker and was on track to break the all-time record for goals in a season but fell just short after some heavy treatment in the grinding clash. Trailing by 20 points at half-time, Hawthorn booted seven goals in a blistering final term to claim an incredible comeback victory.
Grand Final day 1991 was an historic occasion. It was the only Grand Final ever played at Waverley Park and featured the first ever appearance by a non-Victorian team. The half-time entertainment would be hard to forget with Angry Anderson belting out Bound for Glory from a bright blue 7.5 metre long converted Valiant dubbed ‘The Batmobile’. It proved to be Michael Tuck’s last game and he bowed out with the league record for games (426), finals (39), Grand Finals (11) and premierships (seven), leading as captain in four of those seven flags.
The Mighty Fighting Hawks Premiership Reunion will be held at The Sofitel Melbourne on Friday July 23 with guests joining Hawthorn greats of the past to relive the history-making moments of each premiership.
All Hawthorn members and supporters are invited to attend the event and honour the club’s premiership heroes of years past, with the option to choose from Bronze, Silver or Gold ticketing categories.
Secure your tickets online here or call the Hawthorn events team on 03 9535 3069.
The Batmobile is owned by a cohort of Hawthorn diehards headed up by Adam Collins and Mark Hawthorne. The group won the Batmobile in an eBay auction late in 2020. The club would like to thank Adam, Mark and the 31 other owners for their generosity in making the Batmobile available.
