James Bennett is a former Australian rules football

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...

er who played 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 the Victorian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 (VFL).

Bennett was a Collegians

Collegians Football Club

Collegians Football Club is the oldest club in the VAFA, formed in 1891. Their home ground is the Harry Trott Oval in the Melbourne suburb of Albert Park....

 footballer, who spent most of his time with Hawthorn in the reserves, due to the strength of the senior team. He played perhaps his best game, in the opening round of the 1985 VFL season

1985 VFL season

The 89th Victorian Football League Premiership season commenced in March 1985 and concluded on 28 September 1985 with Essendon winning their second consecutive Premiership in their third consecutive Grand Final battle with Hawthorn...

, when he had 18 disposals and kicked three goals against Geelong

Geelong Football Club

The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...

. He was a member of Hawthorn's reserves premiership winning side that year and tied with teammate Greg Dear

Greg Dear

Greg Dear is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn and Richmond in the VFL/AFL.A ruckman, Dear was a member of the strong Hawthorn sides of the late 1980s and a premiership player in 1986, 1988 and 1989. He could have had a fourth in 1991 but missed the entire seasondue to a...

 for the Gardiner Medal

Gardiner Medal

The Gardiner Medal was an Australian rules football award, formerly awarded to the best and fairest player in the VFL Reserves competition.Officially named the Seconds prior to 1959 and the Reserves from 1959 onwards, the competition ran from 1919 until 1999 and the medal was first awarded in...

.