Peter Knights
Encyclopedia
Peter Knights is a former Australian rules
footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries. He was recognized for his contribution to the game when he was among the inaugural inductees into the AFL Hall of Fame in 1996 and later in the Hawthorn Team of the Century.
, Knights made his debut with Hawthorn
in a loss against St. Kilda
at Moorabbin
in Round 9, 1969. He became easily identifiable on the field with his blond hair and his ability to frequently take spectacular high marks
. He was also a great exponent of the drop kick and the torpedo punt kick.
After playing only five games in his debut season, Knights established himself in the first team in 1970. The following year he did so well in that position that he was chosen for Victoria, but missed out on Hawthorn's 1971 Premiership success due to a knee injury.
Knights was moved briefly to full-forward in 1972 after a serious knee injury to Peter Hudson
forced Hawthorn to experiment in the position before finally settling on Michael Moncrieff
. He actually finished as Hawthorn's leading goal-kicking with 46 goals, but was moved back to defence before the season was over. After injury problems restricted his 1973 season, for the next three years Knights was rated the best centre half-back in the game. In 1975, Knights finally had the chance to participate in the first of four Grand Finals. North Melbourne
were too good on the day, winning their first-ever Premiership. Knights was Hawthorn's best player on the day, and capped off a fine personal year by winning the club Best and Fairest award. Knights' stellar form continued into 1976, and had he not suffered a broken collarbone during the season, he would probably have won the 1976 Brownlow Medal. He shrugged off that disappointment to be one of Hawthorn's best players in the 1976 VFL Grand Final
triumph, later joining some of his teammates at Peter Crimmins
' bedside.
From 1977 onwards Knights was frequently rested up forward to reduce the risk of injuries, but still did enough great work at centre half-back to finish one vote behind Malcolm Blight
in the 1978 Brownlow Medal
count. Again Knights would shrug off the disappointment of finishing runner-up to star in the 1978 VFL Grand Final
. After being knocked out while playing in defence, Knights was moved forward in the last quarter, where he took a series of fine marks and kicked two goals to help secure Hawthorn's fourth Premiership.
The litany of injuries that Knights had suffered through his career began to catch up with him, and from 1979 to 1981, he played in only 26 out of a possible 66 games. Amid rumours of retirement, Knights rebounded to play impressive football in his final years. In 1983, he booted six goals in the Qualifying Final to guide Hawthorn to a thrilling four-point win against Fitzroy, and was again among the best players on the field as the Hawks crushed Essendon
in the Grand Final. Another knee injury restricted him to just four games in 1984, but in his final season he showed traces of brilliant form – kicking nine goals against Carlton
in Round 10. The Preliminary Final against Footscray
would turn out to be Knights' final VFL game. He had just four disposals, and was dropped for the Grand Final, a surprising decision for some people, given his reputation as a performer on the VFL's biggest stage. Yet again, Knights would bounce back from the disappointment to finish his career in a semblance of style, kicking a bag of goals to help Hawthorn defeat Carlton in the Reserves Grand Final.
In 1986, the VFL decided to expand and include one team each from Western Australia
and Queensland
. The Brisbane Bears
, based on the Gold Coast
in South East Queensland
, recruited Knights as their inaugural coach, despite his lack of coaching experience. The club won their first game, and although expectations of the new side were low, it was considered a significant achievement that the team was able to avoid finishing last in their first season.
Despite this, the Bears' results in 1988 and 1989 failed to improve, with the club suffering regular thrashings. Knights was dismissed as coach with seven games remaining in the 1989 season and replaced with team psychologist
, Paul Feltham
. Knights was considered to have been unlucky, as ineffective club management and poor relationships amongst his underperforming players seen as major contributing factors in the club's performance.
After a brief coaching stint at Tasmanian club Devonport
from 1990 to 1993, Knights returned to Hawthorn as senior coach for the 1994 AFL season. He managed to lead the team into the Finals series, but were knocked out by North Melbourne in the first final. The following year the team finished second last, however, and Knights was again sacked.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries. He was recognized for his contribution to the game when he was among the inaugural inductees into the AFL Hall of Fame in 1996 and later in the Hawthorn Team of the Century.
Playing career
Recruited from Longwarry in the Gippsland region of VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Knights made his debut with Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
in a loss against St. Kilda
St. Kilda Football Club
The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, is an Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club plays in the Australian Football League, the sport's premier league....
at Moorabbin
Moorabbin Oval
Moorabbin Oval, also known by its sponsorship name of Linen House Oval, is an Australian Rules Football ground in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia at Linton Street in the suburb of Moorabbin....
in Round 9, 1969. He became easily identifiable on the field with his blond hair and his ability to frequently take spectacular high marks
Mark (Australian football)
A mark is a skill in Australian rules football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it or the ball hitting the ground....
. He was also a great exponent of the drop kick and the torpedo punt kick.
After playing only five games in his debut season, Knights established himself in the first team in 1970. The following year he did so well in that position that he was chosen for Victoria, but missed out on Hawthorn's 1971 Premiership success due to a knee injury.
Knights was moved briefly to full-forward in 1972 after a serious knee injury to Peter Hudson
Peter Hudson
Peter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....
forced Hawthorn to experiment in the position before finally settling on Michael Moncrieff
Michael Moncrieff
Michael Moncrieff is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1970s and early 80s....
. He actually finished as Hawthorn's leading goal-kicking with 46 goals, but was moved back to defence before the season was over. After injury problems restricted his 1973 season, for the next three years Knights was rated the best centre half-back in the game. In 1975, Knights finally had the chance to participate in the first of four Grand Finals. North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
were too good on the day, winning their first-ever Premiership. Knights was Hawthorn's best player on the day, and capped off a fine personal year by winning the club Best and Fairest award. Knights' stellar form continued into 1976, and had he not suffered a broken collarbone during the season, he would probably have won the 1976 Brownlow Medal. He shrugged off that disappointment to be one of Hawthorn's best players in the 1976 VFL Grand Final
1976 VFL Grand Final
The 1976 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1976. It was the 80th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...
triumph, later joining some of his teammates at Peter Crimmins
Peter Crimmins
Peter Crimmins was a rover for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL, playing 176 games and kicking 231 goals from 1966 to 1975. He was an inspirational player and captain from 1974 who wore number 5. He was a member of the Hawks' 1971 premiership team.At the completion of the 1974 VFL season...
' bedside.
From 1977 onwards Knights was frequently rested up forward to reduce the risk of injuries, but still did enough great work at centre half-back to finish one vote behind Malcolm Blight
Malcolm Blight
Malcolm Jack Blight AM is a former champion Australian rules football player and coach, and current television commentator. During the 1970s and 1980s Blight played for the Woodville Football Club in the South Australian National Football League and the North Melbourne Football Club in the...
in the 1978 Brownlow Medal
1978 Brownlow Medal
The 1978 Brownlow Medal was awarded to Malcolm Blight from the North Melbourne Football Club as the fairest and best player during the 1978 Victorian Football League home-and-away season.-Leading votegetters:...
count. Again Knights would shrug off the disappointment of finishing runner-up to star in the 1978 VFL Grand Final
1978 VFL Grand Final
The 1978 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 1978. It was the 82nd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...
. After being knocked out while playing in defence, Knights was moved forward in the last quarter, where he took a series of fine marks and kicked two goals to help secure Hawthorn's fourth Premiership.
The litany of injuries that Knights had suffered through his career began to catch up with him, and from 1979 to 1981, he played in only 26 out of a possible 66 games. Amid rumours of retirement, Knights rebounded to play impressive football in his final years. In 1983, he booted six goals in the Qualifying Final to guide Hawthorn to a thrilling four-point win against Fitzroy, and was again among the best players on the field as the Hawks crushed Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
in the Grand Final. Another knee injury restricted him to just four games in 1984, but in his final season he showed traces of brilliant form – kicking nine goals against Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
in Round 10. The Preliminary Final against Footscray
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
would turn out to be Knights' final VFL game. He had just four disposals, and was dropped for the Grand Final, a surprising decision for some people, given his reputation as a performer on the VFL's biggest stage. Yet again, Knights would bounce back from the disappointment to finish his career in a semblance of style, kicking a bag of goals to help Hawthorn defeat Carlton in the Reserves Grand Final.
Coaching career
Although Knights enjoyed spectacular success on the field, it was a different story as a coach. However, it should also be remembered that he was in charge of teams that were either relatively new and inexperienced (Brisbane), or undergoing restructuring (Hawthorn).In 1986, the VFL decided to expand and include one team each from Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. The Brisbane Bears
Brisbane Bears
The Brisbane Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Bears was an Australian rules football club and the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League . The club played its first match in 1987, but struggled on and off the field until it made the finals for the first time in 1995...
, based on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
in South East Queensland
South East Queensland
South East Queensland is a region of the state of Queensland in Australia, which contains approximately two-thirds of the state population...
, recruited Knights as their inaugural coach, despite his lack of coaching experience. The club won their first game, and although expectations of the new side were low, it was considered a significant achievement that the team was able to avoid finishing last in their first season.
Despite this, the Bears' results in 1988 and 1989 failed to improve, with the club suffering regular thrashings. Knights was dismissed as coach with seven games remaining in the 1989 season and replaced with team psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, Paul Feltham
Paul Feltham
Paul Feltham is a sport psychologist and former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is best known for a short stint as caretaker coach of the Brisbane Bears in 1989.- Playing career :...
. Knights was considered to have been unlucky, as ineffective club management and poor relationships amongst his underperforming players seen as major contributing factors in the club's performance.
After a brief coaching stint at Tasmanian club Devonport
Devonport Football Club
Devonport Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in Devonport, Tasmania. The club previously competed in the Northern Tasmanian Football League but from 2009 it joined the newly reformed Tasmanian State League....
from 1990 to 1993, Knights returned to Hawthorn as senior coach for the 1994 AFL season. He managed to lead the team into the Finals series, but were knocked out by North Melbourne in the first final. The following year the team finished second last, however, and Knights was again sacked.