30th Anniversary

[Mr.Craig]

Round 1 marks 30 years of me being a Hawthorn supporter. Incidentally, Round 1 1985 was Jason Dunstall's first game and he'd go on to become my childhood hero. It's been one hell of a journey, all I knew as a kid was grand finals. I don't remember much about the '85 GF but '87 still burns deeply with me, even more so than 2012. I'll never forget '89, coming back from a family holiday to Ballarat and listening to the game on the car radio before getting to watch the final quarter at home.

Being from South Australia I would have been forgiven for jumping ship to the Crows when they came in but I already had too many fond memories to ever consider that. The mid 90's were a very dark time and to see the club almost fold was heartbreaking. A decade later this Clarkson guy beat out champions like Ayers and Eade to get the coaching job, it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing (2004/2005 were horrific) but three premierships in the last decade is good going. Getting the opportunity to hold all three of those cups is something I could never have imagined as a kid.

There's too many memories to list, it's been 3 decades after all. I can only wonder at what the next 30 years will bring.