Sometimes, you get a bit of a surprise when you go back and have a look at a vintage game. Players jump out and, at times, can stand head and shoulders above everyone else on the ground.
Recently, I did a “How Good Were They?” column, and as part of it, I had the name of Mark Bairstow listed. This game was the catalyst for him being added. For me, this contest between the Cats and the Hawks adds another layer of depth to a rivalry that is already as good as you’ll find over the last 30-or-so-years.
We’ll call this one The Bairstow Game.
That the Hawks were at the tail-end of their dynasty, and the Cats were so close to winning a flag of their own (and they’d stay close for a while, yet) provided a great backdrop for this contest. However, there was a lot more to this story.
The absences?
Two superstars of the game were not present for this contest. Gary Ablett was playing in the reserves, after returning to footy following his self-imposed exile/retirement. There was no immediate return to the firsts for Gaz, as he was forced to run around and snag three goals in the ressies.
On the flip side, Jason Dunstall was sidelined with a fractured penis… just kidding. He was out with a bung (no pun intended) ankle.
That left the centre-half-forwards reverting to the main roles, with Dermott Brereton moving to the goal square for the Hawks, and Billy Brownless doing the same for the Cats.
The game was played in less-than-ideal conditions. Not rainy, but still slippery, the ball was tough to control, and with players slipping over, the old adage that the cream rises to the top would be tested.
Let’s see how it went down.
THE QUICK RECAP
This was a very tight contest for the first two and a half quarters, a back-and-forth arm wrestle, with two powerful teams writing another chapter into their storied history.
When you front up with a couple of teams featuring names like Paul Couch, Darren Jarman, Chris Langford, Garry Hocking, Billy Brownless, Gary Ayres, Dermott Brereton, and Damian Bourke, you know you’re going to get a contest.
And we did… until the Cats dropped the hammer.
In an inspired five-minute burst in the third quarter, the Cats stormed over the top of the Hawks, slamming through four goals to blow their lead out to 25+ points. With the heat on, Hawthorn coach, Alan Joyce, was prompted to swing some changes, but as you’ll read below, this was one of those situations where things could have gone very right, or very wrong, depending on the bounce of the ball. And Geelong made it bounce their way.
Some big performances from stars, and plenty of rough stuff for those who like a bit of the argy-bargy in the game.
THE STARS
MARK BAIRSTOW
As if I didn’t gush over him enough in the preamble… allow me to throw a few numbers at you.
The 26 touches and six goals are huge, obviously, but in the first half alone, he had 12 inside 50s.
To put that in context, the highest number of inside 50 deliveries in 2025 was 13, by Hugh McCluggage.
Bairstow cooled off a bit in the second half, finishing the game with 14, but there were a couple of instances where he pulled the kick to hit up a player just outside 50.
He had ten clearances. The next best player was Darren Jarman, who managed six, but was nowhere near as potent with the ball in-hand. And throw in two direct goal assists, as well.
I’d like to say that was, but in a game where Dennis Commeti reacted a little strangely to Bairstow’s physicality, like he hadn’t seen it at this level before, Bairstow took the game on, shrugging tackles early on, and laying a brutal tackle of his own Scott Maginness. He was also responsible for a ripping hip and shoulder on John Platten, as he really stamped his authority on the game.
All in all, this was a game for the ages from Bairstow – the type of game you read about Leigh Matthews playing. If you’re an old-school Cats fan, track this game down and enjoy. On the road at Princes Park, Bairstow demonstrated just why he was so feared as a powerful midfielder, and it was a pleasure to see it.
DERMOTT BRERETON
Out with Dunstall – in with Derm.
The season prior to this one, Dermott filled in for Dunstall at full forward and snagged the lazy eleven goals against the Tigers. He looked like he was ready to do the same against the Cats, as he had his way with 19-year-old Mark Neeld in the first quarter, prompting Malcolm Blight to change the matchup.
Neeld actually had a couple of nice moments against Brereton, but when you’re a defender, you need to make sure your opponent doesn’t match those nice moments with a few of their own.
At halftime, Derm had five goals to his name.
The switch saw Andrew Rogers take on the job, and he did a very handy job, restricting Derm to one goal in the third, before the forward picked up two late goals to finish with eight for the afternoon. In his defence, the delivery after halftime did dry up, and when it did come inside 50, it was often grassed by midfielders who really needed to do better.
As for the physical stuff, Brereton was never far away. He hit Bairstow with a hard tackle that collected him high in the last quarter. Hawk fans were probably hoping for something like that a lot earlier. He also gave a fifty-metre penalty to Damian Bourke, that cost a goal, as the game slipped away from the Hawks.
Hard to fault an eight-goal haul from a fill-in full forward.
DAMIAN BOURKE
After the game, it was interesting to hear Bruce McAvaney and Dennis Cometti talking once the broadcast finished (more on that later). They had Bourke as the second-best player on the ground after Bairstow.
It deserves looking into.
The Cats won the hitouts by five, with Bourke and Stephen Lawrence rucking all day. However, Bourke often hit to advantage, allowing players like Bairstow to run onto the footy at pace. Lawrence to Jarman (six clearances) more often than not, saw Jars hacking the footy from a standing position.
That was the difference.
Bourke was wearing the standard single bed mattress on his knee in this one, and took four contested grabs for the afternoon, whereas Lawrence really appeared to go into a defence-first mindset whenever he wasn’t in a ruck contest. He had eight spoils for the game.
ANDREW BEWS
A bit of a quieter last quarter could have cost Bews Brownlow votes, I reckon.
He collected ten intercepts for the game and had the job of minding John Platten when the rover rested forward. News had 16 touches, but added eight rebound 50s to his stats, along with four clearances, despite spending no time on the footy.
He was such a strong bugger – just impossible to move off the spot, and tough to take down in a tackle. I remember him almost popping Dipper’s head like a pimple in the 89 Grand Final – suffice to say, two years later, he’d lost none of that power.
RAY JENCKE
One of the real underrated rebound defenders of his time. You had him at one end, and Ken Hinkley at the other. I am giving Jenke his own section, as he had some desperate moments in this one that set him aside from the rest of the defence.
His smother early in the final quarter was one of the best you’ll see, making ground on Michael Mansfield (I think… just writing that name from memory) ansd hurling himself across his boot to thwart a running shot at goal.
He had eight intercepts to go with five rebound 50s. Hinkley had five intercepts to go with eight rebounds, but did pick up a few late in the piece.
THE KEY MATCHUPS
BILLY BROWNLESS VERSUS CHRIS LANGFORD
Oh, this was a ripper, and they played head to head for close to 80% of the game.
Langford dominated the first quarter. I had him as the second best player on the park up until halftime, actually (behind Bairstow). His quarter time stats comprised of five intercepts and four rebounds, and it was clear that Billy needed to fire up.
Blight was scathing of a few Cats players at quarter time, and though you cannot see it, I reckon Brownless may have been amongst them.
Billy lifted in the second, and particularly in the third. He ended with 4.5 to his name and took three contested grabs amongst his ten marks for the game.
As for Langford, he collected a game-high 11 one-percenters, nine intercepts, and six rebound fifties.
As always, those R50s would have been higher, but in those days, the kick in was not counted as a stat, as nobody ran out of the square, so those long bombs didn’t count.
PAUL COUCH VERSUS DARREN JARMAN
I’m a massive Darren Jarman fan, but in the third quarter of this game, Paul Couch taught him a lesson about work ethic.
If there was ever a knock on Jars, it was probably to do with his fitness, and despite playing a solid game, you could easily also call this a lazy game.
He was also quite undisciplined, and was probably lucky not to be penalised for several high tackles or bumps.
Couch started slow, but worked into the game brilliantly. His hard work saw him run into the right spots on the ground, and though he could have been cleaner with the footy (poor conditions to blame?) his run and carry was second only to Bairstow for potency.
He finished this game with five clearances and six inside 50sfor the game, and took the chocolates against Jarman.
Head-To-Head?
Disposals – Couch +4
Inside 50s – Jarman +3
Intercepts – Both with five
Clearances – Jarman +1
CHRIS MEW VERSUS BARRY STONEHAM
Hard to assess this one. Mew is tougher to get a kick on than Bruce Lee, and he plays defence like a wet blanket.
And yet, Stoneham was able to pick up four contested marks, and kicked a goal at a stoppage that killed off any chance the Hawks had. He also added two goals from five marks, and that is enough to give him the nod over the no-fuss Mew, who managed four intercepts, ten one-percenters, and five rebounds for the afternoon.
MICHAEL SCHULZE VERSUS PAUL DEAR
Paul Dear would go on to win the Norm Smith Medal this year, but Schulze had his number in this one, completely blanketing the bulky Hawk forward, restricting him to eight touches, and just one mark for the game.
Schulze was a no-bullshit player. His job was to kill contests, and that’s exactly what he did, recording 11 one-percenters and no intercepts for the game.
That’s pure key defensive stuff, right there.
THE SURPRISE PACKET
THE DENNIS AND BRUCE SHOW
I don’t know where the account of Footy Lover on YouTube came across this game, but I am glad they did. It is unedited, and captures the live broadcast. This means there are no replays, but the benefit to this is you get the unedited breaks between play.
And so, at half time, you get a very youthful Bruce McAvaney producing a flawless rundown of the halftime situation, and Dennis Cometti taking his turn to rattle off a few of the best players. One take – no mistakes.
The best in the business, these two.
But it was not the on-camera stuff I liked. They sit and chat, rocking back in their chairs, yapping away to support staff, as the break rolls on.
And then, Dennis Cometti pulls out the hairspray and singlehandedly puts a hole in the ozone layer as he ensures not a single hair is out of place.
I love this – no stylists. Just Dennis doing his hair. The man knows how to look good!
Or as good as he can, I suppose.
The two-man commentary team, with these two, works an absolute treat.
THE BIG HITS
BAIRSTOW ON PLATTEN
I mentioned this above, because I was a little taken aback to hear Cometti surprised by Bairstow’s attack on the contest. For me, I always thought Bairstow was very hard at it, and John Platten felt this in a big way as the ball overshot him on the wing. Platts had to sit and wait for the bounce. He got the handball off, but as he did, Bairstow hit him like a guided missile, with the type of impact that’d drop a Mallee Bull.
To his credit, Platen got up and continued playing – a testament to how tough The Rat was.
BRERETON ON BAIRSTOW
Again, mentioned above, but this was the type of moment a few years early, I could have imagined happening earlier in the contest.
Bairstow collected the footy deep in defence, and Brereton charges at him like an animal. Bairstow half get the kick away, but the impact of Brereton’s tackle floors him, and he is none too happy about. The ump calls it back and awards Bairstow the free kick, whilst Derm intimates that Bairstow ducked into it.
No harm, no report… play on.
THE DISAPPOINTMENTS
LAST DANCE WITH DIPPER
This was Dipper’s first game of the 1991 season.
This was Dipper’s last game of the 1991 season.
And his career.
Started on the bench, had an impact in the second quarter when he came on, but what we see here is a player on his last legs. Tries his guts out, but is slower and nowhere near as fit as now required, to play the game.
There are a few instances where I reckon Dipper understands his time has come, in this outing. What a career, though, huh?
GARRY HOCKING UNNECESSARY
With about ten second to go in the game, and the Cats the better part of seven goals up, Ben Allan bends over to pick the footy up between the centre and half-forward.
And Garry Hocking hits him with a drive-by hip to the top of the head.
Hocking was a great player – a fantastic ball winner, and tough as nails, but this was the action of… well, a dick. Allan had 16 games to his name before this game, and assessed by current standards, I reckon Buddha would be looking at 3-4 weeks on the sidelines for this.
Of course, it was 1991… play on!
THE STATS THAT DIDN’T MATTER… BACK THEN
CLEARANCES
Mark Bairstow led the way with ten, followed by Darren Jarman with six, and five each to Gary Ayres and Paul Couch.
INSIDE 50S
Bairstow again, this time leading with 14. The next best was nine from Darren Jarman, whilst Couch had six, and both Ayres and Platten had five each.
REBOUND 50S
Ken Hinkley and Andrew Bews were equal leaders, with eight each, whilst Chris Langford secured six, and Ray Kencke had five.
Again, it is worth noting that there was no kick-in/play on stat to bolster stats.
CONTESTED MARKS
Barry Stoneham, Gary Ayres, and Damian Bourke all had four apiece. Given the conditions, pulling down four contested grabs is a great return for each of them.
Overall, there were 36 contested marks taken between the teams.
ONE-PERCENTERS
Both Mark Schulze and Chris Langford had 11 apiece to lead their respective teams, whilst Chris New had ten, and Stephen Lawrence had eight.
GOAL ASSISTS
Two apiece for each of Darren Jarman, Mark Bairstow, Michael Mansfield, and Darrin Pritchard.
INTERCEPT POSSESSIONS
Andrew Bews was the game-high man, with ten, followed by Langford with 11, and Jencke with nine.
SOME QUICKIES
I touched on the move that looked to change things up earlier on, but didn’t delve into it… on purpose, believe it or not.
The move was Gary Ayres into the middle to give the Hawks some grunt. It was not a new thing – Alan Jeans used to use it, and Alan Joyce obviously liked it, as well.
However, when Ayres went in there, Mark Bairstow became his responsibility, and it backfired dramatically, with Bairstow breaking from the guts to kick two big goals to snuff out any intentions of a Hawthorn revival. Ayres simply did not have the speed to run with Bairstow, and I reckon both players were aware of it. Ayres won five clearances for the game, with four coming after the move into the middle, but those goals to Bairstow broke the game open.
Michael Tuck had ten touches in the first quarter playing wing/half-back, and even at 113 years old, his presence was sorely missed when he went down.
Tim Darcy had a ripping game across the backline, and thwarted many a Hawks inside 50. Dropping in front of Brereton, and controlling his contest against Tony Hall, Darcy was easily one of the Cats’ best.
Really quiet day for Darrin Pritchard, and the Hawks missed his delivery. He had two inside 50 kicks for the day – both direct goal assists.
I’ve not given Andrew Rogers enough credit for the job he did on Brereton after halftime. This was a real battle, and he took it up right up to an in-form player.
Blight’s run-and-gun style of play was so joyful to watch, and I reckon the Geelong players genuinely enjoyed playing in that fashion. Being given the green light to take the game on, even in average conditions, creates a bit of havoc. The Hawks stood up to it early, but it only ever takes a five minute passage of play to break the game open, and that’s exactly what happened here.
A fair few Father/Son players in this one, heavily in the Hawks’ favour. Andrew would provide Jed Bews, Dean Anderson would provide Noah… albeit to the Suns, Paul Dear would offer Calsher, Chris Langford had Will play in a flag for the Hawks, and Michael Tuck would see his son, Shane play in the big league, as well.
Of course, a week later, a certain legendary Cat would return and there is a pretty handy Father/Son pickup associated with him, as well.
THE WRAP UP
The Hawks and Cats were locked at 16 wins apiece after the home and away season, with the Eagles the team to beat.
Both teams had their chance to do so in the finals, with the Hawks knocking them over twice, and the Cats falling to them in the Preliminary Final. Looking at this game, I have to think this was the one the Cats really let slip. Hawthorn came good at the right time of year, but Geelong could have really given things a shake in the Grand Final in 1991.
They fell 15 points short of West Coast, who just weren’t ready to take the big leap and become the dominant force. They’d be a consistent thorn in Geelong’s side for years, denying the Cats flags in 92 and 94.
For the Hawks, yes, they rallied, but the signs were there that things were not going to continue in the same way they had been. They were outclassed by Geelong, here, and been beaten by the Eagles by 80-odd points, already.
They clawed their way to this flag, and it should be remembered as one of their greatest achievements. They were called too old and too slow, and soon, that would prove true. But not in 1991.
Looking at Bairstow’s career stats, he did not approach this level of performance again – not many did. He notched 40 touches several times, but his six goals to add to his 36 touches… and the way he attacked the footy in this game, made for one of the best individual performances you’ll ever see. A must-watch, if you’re a Cats fan.
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