Australian Football

Hard working, resolute, and the consummate team player, ruckman Ian Paton gave Hawthorn ten years of reliable service which included involvement in two winning grand finals. He joined the Hawks from Scotch College in Tasmania and made his VFL debut in the premiership year of 1976. Paton was not selected for that season's Grand Final, but two years later he was a member of the team which downed North Melbourne in the premiership decider by three goals.

After Don Scott retired at the end of the 1981 season, Paton assumed principal ruck duties for the team, and he was first ruckman when the Hawks annihilated Essendon by 83 points in the 1983 Grand Final. He also played in the losing Grand Final the next year against the same opposition. The last of Ian Paton's 155 VFL games came in 1985.

Paton spent the 1986 season captaining Hawthorn's reserves, and in 1987 returned home to Tasmania where he was appointed captain-coach of South Launceston, which was about to commence its second season in the recently formed TFL Statewide competition. The Bulldogs were not particularly successful under Paton's coaching, but from the personal point of view his playing form was consistently superb, leading to club best and fairest trophies in 1987, 1988 and 1990.

Author - John Devaney