View source for 1985 VFL grand final

{{Short description|Grand final of the 1985 Victorian Football League season}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox Australian rules football match
| year         = 1985
| competition  = VFL
| match_type   = Grand final
| image        = 
| home         = [[File:Essendon Football Club colours.svg|50px]]<br/>{{AFL Ess}}
| home_abbr    = ESS
| home_image   = 
| away         = [[File:Hawthorn Football Club Colours.svg|50px]]<br/> {{AFL Haw}} 
| away_abbr    = HAW
| away_image   = 
| home_qtr1    = 6.4 (40)
| home_qtr2    = 11.9 (75)
| home_qtr3    = 15.11 (101)
| home_qtr4    = 26.14 (170)
| away_qtr1    = 5.1 (31)
| away_qtr2    = 9.3 (57)
| away_qtr3    = 11.5 (71)
| away_qtr4    = 14.8 (92)
| home_score   = 26.14 (170)
| away_score   = 14.8 (92)
| date         = 28 September 1985
| stadium      = [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]]
| attendance   = 100,042
| favourite     = {{AFL Ess}}
| umpire       = 
| coin_toss    = 
| kick_end     = 
| prematch     = 
| anthem       = 
| halftime     = 
| postmatch    = 
| norm_smith   = [[Simon Madden]] (Essendon)
| jock_mchale  = [[Kevin Sheedy (Australian footballer)|Kevin Sheedy]]
| network      = [[Seven Network]]
| commentators = [[Lou Richards]]<br>[[Bob Skilton]]
| last         = 1984
| next         = 1986
}}

The '''1985 VFL Grand Final''' was an [[Australian rules football]] game contested between the [[Essendon Football Club]] and [[Hawthorn Football Club]], held at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] in [[Melbourne]] on 28 September 1985. It was the 89th annual [[AFL Grand Final|grand final]] of the [[Victorian Football League (1897–1989)|Victorian Football League]], staged to determine the [[List of AFL premiers|premiers]] for the [[1985 VFL season]]. The match, attended by 100,042 spectators, was won by Essendon by a margin of 78 points, marking that club's 14th premiership victory.

==Background==
{{Main|1985 VFL finals series}}
{{see also|1985 VFL season}}
It was the third consecutive year in which the two clubs met in the premiership decider, with Hawthorn having won the [[1983 VFL Grand Final]] and Essendon having won the [[1984 VFL Grand Final]]

At the conclusion of the [[home and away season]], Essendon had finished first on the VFL ladder with 19 wins and 3 losses. Hawthorn had finished third (behind [[Footscray Football Club|Footscray]]) with 15 wins, 6 losses and a draw.

In the finals series in the lead-up to the game, Hawthorn defeated Footscray in the Qualifying Final before meeting the Bombers in the second semi-final, which Essendon convincingly won by 40 points. The Hawks then met Footscray again in the preliminary final, which they won by 10 points to advance to the grand final. The Bombers advanced straight to the grand final on the back of their second semi-final win.

==Match summary==
The grand final is often remembered for a [[bench-clearing brawl]] which broke out on the wing soon after the opening bounce.

Essendon edged ahead early and increased its margin slightly at each of the changes, leading by nine points at quarter time, 18 points at half time and 30 points at three quarter time.  The Bombers then scored a record 11.3 (69) in the final quarter to completely blow the game open. [[Paul Salmon]] kicked six goals for Essendon and [[Roger Merrett]] five. 
{| class="wikitable" | align="right"
|- style="background:#f03;"
! Team !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! Final 
|-
| '''[[Essendon Football Club|Essendon]]''' || '''6.4''' || '''11.9'''|| '''15.11''' || '''26.14 (170)'''
|-
| [[Hawthorn Football Club|Hawthorn]]  || 5.1 || 9.3 || 11.5 || 14.8 (92)
|}

Forward [[Dermott Brereton]] starred for the Hawks with eight goals, the most ever in a losing grand final side (a record that stood until [[Gary Ablett Sr.|Gary Ablett]]'s current record of nine goals in [[Geelong Football Club|Geelong]]'s losing [[1989 VFL Grand Final]] against Hawthorn). Brereton was also reported three times in the game: he received a four match suspension for rough conduct and two counts of striking arising from the brawl.

The [[Norm Smith Medal]] was awarded to Essendon's [[Simon Madden]] for being judged the best player afield.

At the conclusion of the game, the 332nd and final game of Hawks great [[Leigh Matthews]]' 16-year career, Matthews was chaired off the ground by his teammates.

Essendon coach [[Kevin Sheedy (Australian footballer)|Kevin Sheedy]] said after the game to his players "It took you five years to play four quarters of football, but I'm patient. It was a wonderful effort of football, the way football should be played."

Hawthorn would play in five of the next six grand finals, including winning the [[1986 VFL Grand Final]], while Essendon would have to wait until the [[1993 AFL Grand Final]] before their next Premiership success.

==Teams==
{| width=92% |
|-
|{{Australian rules football kit
 | pattern_b  = _redrightsash
 | pattern_sh =  _redsides
 | pattern_so = _hoops_black
 | body       = 000000 
 | shorts     = 000000  
 | socks      = FB0000
 | title      = Essendon
}}
|{{Australian rules football kit
 | pattern_b  = _brown_stripes_copia 
 | pattern_sh =  _goldsides
 | pattern_so = _hoops_gold 
 | body       = FBBF15  
 | shorts     = 823f00  
 | socks      = 823f00  
 | title      = Hawthorn 
}}
|}
{|
|valign="top"|
{{Aussie rules team| title =  {{font color|#CC2031|Essendon|link=Essendon Football Club}} | color = #000000  
| backpocket1 = 26 [[Mark Thompson (footballer)|Mark Thompson]]
| fullback = 28 [[Paul Weston (footballer)|Paul Weston]]
| backpocket2 = 22 [[Billy Duckworth]]
| halfbackflank1 = 10 [[Garry Foulds]]
| centrehalfback = 30 [[Kevin Walsh (Australian rules footballer)|Kevin Walsh]]
| halfbackflank2 = 33 [[Glenn Hawker]]
| wing1 = {{0}}2 [[Bryan Wood]] 
| centre = 32 [[Tim Watson]]
| wing2 = {{0}}8 [[Neil Clarke (Australian footballer)|Neil Clarke]]
| halfforwardflank1 = {{0}}5 [[Terry Daniher]] (c)
| centrehalfforward = 25 [[Roger Merrett]]
| halfforwardflank2 = 38 [[Mark Harvey]]
| forwardpocket1 = {{0}}4 [[Leon Baker]]
| fullforward = {{0}}3 [[Paul Salmon]]
| forwardpocket2 = 18 [[Paul Van Der Haar]]
| ruck = 27 [[Simon Madden]]
| ruckrover = 13 [[Darren Williams (Australian rules footballer)|Darren Williams]]
| rover = 14 [[Tony Elshaug]]
| interchange1 = 17 [[Stephen Carey]]
| interchange2 = 15 [[Alan Ezard]]
| interchange3 =
| interchange4 = 
| interchange5 = 
| interchange6 = 
| coach = [[Kevin Sheedy (Australian footballer)|Kevin Sheedy]]
}}
|valign="top"|
{{Aussie rules team| title =  {{font color|#4D2004|Hawthorn|link=Hawthorn Football Club}} | color = #FBBF15       
| backpocket1 = {{0}}7 [[Gary Ayres]]
| fullback = {{0}}2 [[Chris Mew]]
| backpocket2 = 30 [[Peter Schwab]]
| halfbackflank1 = 15 [[Russell Morris (footballer)|Russell Morris]]
| centrehalfback = {{0}}6 [[Rod Lester-Smith]]
| halfbackflank2 = 29 [[Russell Greene]]
| wing1 = {{0}}9 [[Robert DiPierdomenico]]
| centre = 16 [[Terry Wallace]]
| wing2 = {{0}}4 [[Peter Russo]]
| halfforwardflank1 = 34 [[John Kennedy Jr. (footballer)|John Kennedy]]
| centrehalfforward = 23 [[Dermott Brereton]]
| halfforwardflank2 = {{0}}1 [[Ken Judge]]
| forwardpocket1 = 20 [[Michael McCarthy (Australian footballer)|Michael McCarthy]]
| fullforward = 19 [[Jason Dunstall]] 
| forwardpocket2 = {{0}}3 [[Leigh Matthews]] (c)
| ruck = 28 [[Chris Langford]]
| ruckrover = 37 [[Robert Handley]]
| rover = 22 [[Richard Loveridge]]
| interchange1 = 17 [[Michael Tuck]]
| interchange2 = {{0}}8 [[David O'Halloran]]
| interchange3 =
| interchange4 = 
| interchange5 = 
| interchange6 = 
| coach = [[Allan Jeans]]
}}
|}

==Goalkickers==
{| style="width:40%;"
|-
|  style="vertical-align:top; width:30%;"|
'''Essendon'''
* Salmon 6
* Merrett 5
* Harvey 4
* Watson 3
* Baker 2
* Ezard 2
* Williams 2
* Duckworth 1
* Thompson 1
|  style="vertical-align:top; width:30%;"|
'''Hawthorn'''
* Brereton 8
* DiPierdomenico 1
* Judge 1
* Lester-Smith 1
* Loveridge 1
* Matthews 1
* McCarthy 1
|}

==See also==
* [[1985 VFL season]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* ''The Official statistical history of the AFL 2004'' 
* Ross, J. (ed), ''100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported'', Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. {{ISBN|0-670-86814-0}}

==External links==
* {{YouTube|id=UZ8OgqJDSOw|title=1985 VFL Grand Final - Essendon Vs Hawthorn (Extended Highlights)}}
* {{cite magazine|title=1985 VFL Grand Final Souvenir|magazine=[[AFL Record|The Football Record]]|via=[[State Library of Victoria]]|publisher=[[AFL Media|Victorian Football League]]|date=28 September 1985|volume=74|issue=27|url=http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/127565}}

{{1985 Essendon premiership players}}
{{Essendon Football Club}}
{{Hawthorn Football Club}}
{{Australian Football League}}

[[Category:VFL/AFL Grand Finals]]
[[Category:1985 in Australian rules football|Grand]]
[[Category:Essendon Football Club]]
[[Category:Hawthorn Football Club]]
[[Category:September 1985 sports events in Australia]]