Australian Football

Both on and off the field of play, Peter Crimmins' name was a synonym for courage. As a rover for Hawthorn, he combined tenacity and brilliance in generous measure, playing 176 VFL games and kicking 231 goals between 1966 and 1975. In the 1971 Grand Final he was among the best players afield as the Hawks came from behind to defeat St Kilda by 7 points. 

A VFL interstate representative, Crimmins captained Hawthorn in 1974 and 1975, but was forced to stand down in 1976 when he began to lose his battle with the cancer that had first been diagnosed a couple of years earlier. Acutely conscious of their teammate's deteriorating condition, and desperate to achieve something meaningful and lasting on his behalf, the rest of the Hawthorn players mounted an assault on the 1976 VFL premiership that was tantamount to an unrelenting quest for the Holy Grail. Hours after bringing their quest to a successful conclusion with a 30 point Grand Final defeat of North Melbourne, several of the players turned up at Crimmins' home with the premiership cup, to 'the little feller's' obvious and unadulterated delight. 

Three days later, the emotions surrounding one of the most poignant VFL Grand Finals on record intensified still further as Crimmins sadly passed away.

Author - John Devaney