Legendary four-time premiership-winning Hawthorn player and later four-time Premiership-winning coach with Collingwood and the Brisbane Lions. Many fans and critics regard Matthews as the best player of the 20th century, after making his debut in Round 16 of the 1969 season at 17 years old.
It isn’t just me calling Matthews the greatest of all time, as the legendary Hawthorn coach John Kennedy Sr stated that Matthews was one of the most talented players that he had the honour of coaching during his three tenures as coach of the club. The AFL also voted Matthews the Player of the Century in 1999.
Matthews would end his career with 332 games for Hawthorn, in a playing career that saw him win four premierships across two decades, the 1982 AFLPA MVP award, which was later named after Matthews, and the 1975 Coleman medal despite not being a key forward at the time. Despite never winning a Brownlow Medal, Matthews currently sits 11th overall on the most votes, earning 202 during his career.
Matthews was savage on the field, earning the nickname ‘Lethal’ for his ferocious attack on the ball, his opponent, and even the goalposts. He famously broke one of the behind posts at Windy Hill during a game against Essendon in 1982. Matthews was also a prolific goalscorer, kicking 915 goals during his career, the most for a non-full forward.
Matthews was a key player in the Hawks’ side that won the Premiership in 1971, 1976, 1978, and 1983. He was especially impressive in the 1983 Grand Final, where he kicked six goals, which was only two less than the entire Essendon side, which managed only eight goals for the game.
Matthews was also a prolific possession getter, gathering over 40 possessions on two separate occasions, and averaged around 23 possessions per game during his entire career. Alongside his numerous achievements, Matthews was named in the forward pocket when the AFL announced the Team of the Century in 1996, and is one of four footballers to be inducted into the Australian Football and the Sports Australia Hall of Fame as Legends, alongside Ted Whitten, Ron Barassi, and most recently, Bob Skilton.
The year after Matthews’ illustrious on-field career ended, he was signed as Collingwood’s coach, replacing John Cahill. With Matthews at the helm, Collingwood won their first premiership since 1958, ending the ‘Colliwobbles’ legendary premiership drought. Matthews left Collingwood in 1995 and was replaced by Tony Shaw, spending four years out of the game before signing to coach the Brisbane Lions in 1999.
Matthews took the Lions, who finished last the year before he took over, straight into the finals in his first year as coach. Matthews would then coach Brisbane to three consecutive Premierships from 2001 to 2003. He also coached the Lions to the 2004 Grand Final with a chance to equal the record four premierships in a row, but fell to Port Adelaide. In the middle of his time as Lions’ coach, the AFL Players Association MVP award was renamed in Matthews’ honour.
Matthews retired from coaching in 2008 after eight total premierships, with four as a player and four as a coach. Since retiring, Matthews has been inducted into the Hall of Fame for Hawthorn, Collingwood, and Brisbane, each of the clubs he was involved in during his playing and coaching career. Interestingly enough, Matthews was replaced at both Collingwood and Brisbane by his premiership captain. Collingwood replaced Matthews with 1990 Premiership captain Tony Shaw following the 1995 season, while triple Premiership captain Michael Voss replaced Matthews at the Lions.
Performances of Note
Hawthorn versus Essendon, Round 3, 1973
In his 68th game of VFL football, Leigh Matthews shredded Essendon with an insane individual performance within a dominant team display. Matthews not only racked up over 40 possessions, but the small forward also kicked 11 of Hawthorn’s 27 goals, as the Hawks posted their highest score, 170 points. Some have described Matthews’ game that day as the greatest individual effort seen in VFL/AFL history.
Hawthorn versus Melbourne, Round 1, 1980
The only other game that Matthews kicked 11 goals was the Round One clash between Matthews’ Hawks and the Demons in 1980. Matthews was at his dominant best during the game, kicking 11 goals and 2 behinds from only 17 disposals as the Hawks won by 41 points. The following year, Matthews would become the Hawks’ captain, taking over the position from Don Scott.
Hawthorn versus Essendon, Grand Final, 1983
In 1983, Matthews would lead the Hawks to their fourth premiership since he joined the team in 1971. The premiership was also the Hawks’ first and only premiership with Matthews at the helm, even though he led them back to the Grand Final in 1984 and 1985 in a seven-year stretch where the Hawks made the Grand Final every year. While Matthews missed out on winning the Norm Smith Medal that day, with the honors going to Matthews’ teammate Colin Robinson, he would be the leading scorer on the day, kicking six goals.
So, where does Lethal sit on your list of the greatest to have ever played the game?
