Hardie's '85

[LostDoggy]

Heard some mumblings on the telecast today that included the words 'Harbrow' and 'Brownlow'.

Made me think of another attacking back pocket player - ol Fanta Pants Hardie (who moved to Queensland, bad omen).

Who remembers his '85 season well? How good was it? I was 11 and watching Beasley more.

[gohardorgohome]

Hardie was excellent at reading the play, he backed himself, but the downside of that is that he did not have a defensive bone in his body.

Hardie and Harbrow are very different players in two different eras. The play was a lot more positional in the 80s so there was a lot less traffic. He didnt seem overly quick and was a chunky build. Hardie would often back his judgement and run off his man.

[LostDoggy]

Yes not quick, though he seemed to turn okay for a chunky fellow. Probably a better kick than Harbrow.

He must have been smoking that season.

[SPower]

Just watched the 85 prelim and no wonder Mick anf Hardie had a falling out.
Hardie decided not to get within 10 mtrs of Mathews when he came off the bench in the 3rd qtr after being benched by Jeans. Mathews won the game and Hardie cost us a Premiership. After v10- 15 mins Cordy was moved on to Mathews and had no impact.

[GVGjr]

Heard some mumblings on the telecast today that included the words 'Harbrow' and 'Brownlow'.

Made me think of another attacking back pocket player - ol Fanta Pants Hardie (who moved to Queensland, bad omen).

Who remembers his '85 season well? How good was it? I was 11 and watching Beasley more.


The 85 season was the most exciting years that I have witnessed and Hardie played a fair role in that. Having said that Hardie should have tightened up on Matthews when it counted.

Have a search on the forum as there has been a fair bit written on Hardie.

[bornadog]

1985 was a great year, I really enjoyed it. Hardie was sensational as he was very creative and ran off the backline, down the corridor many times and past the centre. In those days it was unheard of for a back pocket to run and create play.

There is a great passage of play at VFL park, versus Nth, where Hardie runs from the backline bouncing the ball, handpassing and then receiving it back, several times and finally kicking to the Pieman. As the year wore on people were heard to say, Who is that Bloke?

As for the 1985 prelim, Hardie was the wrong player to pickup Matthews, and I blame the coach for a wrong move.

I have all the highlights from 1985 but unfortunately, only on VHS and I don't have the equipment to convert it.

[mighty_west]

1985 was a great year, I really enjoyed it. Hardie was sensational as he was very creative and ran off the backline, down the corridor many times and past the centre. In those days it was unheard of for a back pocket to run and create play.

There is a great passage of play at VFL park, versus Nth, where Hardie runs from the backline bouncing the ball, handpassing and then receiving it back, several times and finally kicking to the Pieman. As the year wore on people were heard to say, Who is that Bloke?

As for the 1985 prelim, Hardie was the wrong player to pickup Matthews, and I blame the coach for a wrong move.

I have all the highlights from 1985 but unfortunately, only on VHS and I don't have the equipment to convert it.

I have always had the same opinion, Hardie was never a defensive backman, didn't have one definsive bone in his body, yet on the flipside, was great at running off a half back, and i mean great.

I have always blamed Malthouse for losing Hardie, his 1985, considering as well was his first season in the VFL, was just unbelievable, i was shattered when we lost him.

He went on & played some good games for Brissy, including kicking 9 goals in a game, but form was patchy compared to his '85, he was just sublime that season, and as a teenager, you didn't give two hoots back then about players lack of defensive skills, he was just exciting to watch live, just as exciting as Beaser.

[GVGjr]

As for the 1985 prelim, Hardie was the wrong player to pickup Matthews, and I blame the coach for a wrong move.



I have to disagree. History might say that he was an attacking defender but the reality was that in 1985 in his first season at the club his job was to do as instructed by the coach. Sadly he didn't. It certainly wasn't the wrong move because Hardie beat Matthews comprehensively except he didn't go on with it when it counted

He had Matthews matched physically and for pace but didn't extend him the respect he should have.

[Twodogs]

Does anyone else remember the shellacking Bobby Davis took as the season wore on? At the start of the year Bobby had said on World Of Sport that Hardie "Fair dinkum couldnt play". Hardie had been touted as the best player not playing VFL football when he was recruited to the club.


I remember he went on the end of seasons Galah's tour to Ireland in 1984 and they terlecast the games back into Melbourne. That was the first time I saw Hardie-and Alan Daniels for that matter. Anyway I told my dad that we'd signed Hardie and pointed him out. "What the little fat bloke with the red hair? Oh great! He looks like a fantastic player" says dad. :D

THe first time I saw him play was at VFL park in a practice match. It was 40 degrees celsius and Brad was wearing a long sleeeve jumper-he has bad burn marks on his arms from a fire when he was a teen-I thought to myself wait until he plays at Western Obal in July, he'll be wearing a duffel coat.

[anfo27]

Was a bit too young to remember Brad at the dogs but have seen him at the TAB over the years and he would have to be the biggest wanker i have come across. Can't stand a bloke who lets the whole TAB know who he has backed over the call and then carries on when it doesn't get up then proceeds to let everyone know who's fault it is why the horse didn't get up.
I thought he was very arrogant and makes me think he was the same as a footballer who didn't respect the coach if his opinion differed from his because Brad knows best.

[bornadog]

Was a bit too young to remember Brad at the dogs but have seen him at the TAB over the years and he would have to be the biggest wanker i have come across. Can't stand a bloke who lets the whole TAB know who he has backed over the call and then carries on when it doesn't get up then proceeds to let everyone know who's fault it is why the horse didn't get up.
I thought he was very arrogant and makes me think he was the same as a footballer who didn't respect the coach if his opinion differed from his because Brad knows best.

All true, but he was great to watch in 1985

[mjp]

I have known Brad for a very long time. Yes - he is an arrogant know it all and no, I would never lend him any money...but beyond all of that he is a pretty straight up guy.

I have no doubt he thought he knew more than Malthouse - more than all his coaches for that matter - but he is not the first player to be guilty of that sin. He was one hell of a player - certainly the way he played off his man and run and carried from deep back was years ahead of his time - but he always did things on his own terms as a player from his first senior game as a 17yo.

I remember one state of origin game that WA won and he was awarded the BOG medal. Dale Weightman was spewing and said 'How can the back pocket player be bog when the resting rovers kicked 5 goals?'. (I think Weightman kicked 2 himself). Hardie of course had the ball 30 times and kicked 2, but that was beside the point to Weightman - in that era, defenders defended, forwards didn't and Hardie hadn't played his 'role'. Furthermore, not only was he never a close checking player, but the closer the game got the MORE he rolled the dice to go for the win. When the chips are down, he goes 'all in' (and this part of his personality has got him in loads of trouble).

As a coach I would be very disappointed if my back pocket player did what Hardie did in '85. But I would like to think I knew my players and realised that the tighter things got the more he would run off, the more he would look to create and make the change. It is yet another 'one that got away' game I guess and it is easy to point to the Hardie/Matthews last q as the sole reason for the loss. There is a bit more too it than that though (our mids get smashed in the last q for a start) and it is probably worth remembering that in a ten point game there are countless mistakes and errors that could have turned the result...

[Sockeye Salmon]

There is a bit more too it than that though (our mids get smashed in the last q for a start) and it is probably worth remembering that in a ten point game there are countless mistakes and errors that could have turned the result...

Didn't we kick 2 goals in the last minute? Although it was a 10 point result, we never really looked like winning from halfway through the last quarter (it was close at 3/4 time, I'm sure).

[Mantis]

Didn't we kick 2 goals in the last minute? Although it was a 10 point result, we never really looked like winning from halfway through the last quarter (it was close at 3/4 time, I'm sure).

1pt the difference.

1985 Preliminary Final
Hawthorn 3.2 7.4 10.8 16.13 (109)
Footscray 4.4 6.6 10.7 15.9 (99)
GOALS: Hawthorn: J.Dunstall 4, K.Judge 4, J.Kennedy 2, L.Matthews 2, M.McCarthy, P.Russo, R.Loveridge, D.Brereton
Footscray: S.Beasley 3, J.Edmond 2, J.Sewell 2, M.McLean 2, R.Groenewegen, T.Buhagiar, D.Hawkins, L.Bamblett, A.Purser, B.Royal
Crowd: 55,246 at Waverley Park on Saturday, 21st September

[Desipura]

1985 Preliminary Final
Hawthorn 3.2 7.4 10.8 16.13 (109)
Footscray 4.4 6.6 10.7 15.9 (99)
GOALS: Hawthorn: J.Dunstall 4, K.Judge 4, J.Kennedy 2, L.Matthews 2, M.McCarthy, P.Russo, R.Loveridge, D.Brereton
Footscray: S.Beasley 3, J.Edmond 2, J.Sewell 2, M.McLean 2, R.Groenewegen, T.Buhagiar, D.Hawkins, L.Bamblett, A.Purser, B.Royal
Crowd: 55,246 at Waverley Park on Saturday, 21st September
A 15yo Desipura was sitting on a half fwd flank in front of the main scoreboard. I remember it being a nice sunny day which was a change for Waverley.

[Mantis]

A 15yo Desipura was sitting on a half fwd flank in front of the main scoreboard. I remember it being a nice sunny day which was a change for Waverley.

A 9yo Mantis was sitting in the FP in front of the scoreboard with his hair nicely spray-painted.

Red on the right side, Blue on the left side & a White 'mohawk' down the middle.

I should have patented that look... I would be making a squillion out of DaDruid right now.;)

[Desipura]

A 9yo Mantis was sitting in the FP in front the scoreboard with his hair nicely spray-painted.

Red on the right side, Blue on the left side & a White 'mohawk' down the middle.

I should have patented that look... I would be making a squillion out of DaDruid right now.;)
Come to think of it, I was in the forward pocket as well, with the scoreboard directly behind me.
At least the spray paint was in vogue in the 80's! hehehe

[ledge]

I was on the boundary, my at the time future father-in-law was a long time trainer, the next day was a beauty though in Hardies car doing doughnuts in the old carpark at the Western Oval before we ventured down to the Waterloo Cup to watch Willy in the granny.

[Sockeye Salmon]

I was at some bush footy ground (Romsey, perhaps?) spewing about having been dropped for the prelim watching Chico Muscari miss a shot after the siren to cost us a grand final spot.

[Cyberdoggie]

A 15yo Desipura was sitting on a half fwd flank in front of the main scoreboard. I remember it being a nice sunny day which was a change for Waverley.

I was on the right hand side of the ground from the camera point of view.
Sitting in a shaded part of the stand for the second half, I remember it being freezing when the sun had gone. It was the start of this current run of PF losses we are experiencing.

1985 was a brief moment of glory that i had never experienced before until it came crashing down on September 21st.

I got to experience what being on top of the vfl ladder was like(I remember they announced it after a game at the Western Oval while we were kicking the footy around, and everyone cheered). Playing finals and winning a final. Winning a brownlow medal.
While i never thought we had a chance against Essendon, it would of been good to make it. At the very least it would of given me more reason to hate Essendon today.

[Desipura]

I remember lining up to purchase my tickets at the Western Oval. Some dude had his ghetto blaster playing "Money aint for nothing".
Does anyone else recall the wall paper in the dressing rooms? It was of a packed MCG, it was aewsome.

[bornadog]

I was behind the goals opposite end of the scoreboard and yes we did kick two junk time goals to be back within 10 points at the end. It was a close first three quarters but once Matthews came on and kicked those couple, we couldn't get back in.

My mate had chicken and champagne ready in the boot of his car, but after the game we didn't feel like it and all went our seperate ways.:(:(