Peter Crimmins
Encyclopedia
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
Crimmins was diagnosed with testicular cancer
. After surgery and two bouts of chemotherapy
in 1975, he attempted to make a return, but was ultimately left out of the team for the 1975 VFL Grand Final
by coach John Kennedy and other members of the selection committee, who determined that he was not match fit. The Hawks lost the Grand Final to North Melbourne
.
Crimmins died just days after the club's 1976 premiership win
, which was also played against North Melbourne. He was an inspiration to the Hawthorn team that year whose illness was used by Kennedy to urge the side to win for the "little fella". The image of a stricken Crimmins holding the premiership cup and surrounded by team-mates is captured in Jamie Cooper's painting the Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport He was survived by his wife and two sons.
The Hawthorn FC Best & Fairest award is called the Peter Crimmins Medal
in his honour. Crimmins' number 5 team jumper is displayed in his honour in Hawthorn's club room at Glenferrie Oval
, the only jumper on display.
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 VFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
, 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
1971 VFL Grand Final
The 1971 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and St Kilda Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1971. It was the 75th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
.
At the completion of the 1974 VFL season
1974 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1974.-Premiership season:In 1974, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th man...
Crimmins was diagnosed with testicular cancer
Testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system.In the United States, between 7,500 and 8,000 diagnoses of testicular cancer are made each year. In the UK, approximately 2,000 men are diagnosed each year. Over his lifetime, a man's risk of...
. After surgery and two bouts of chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
in 1975, he attempted to make a return, but was ultimately left out of the team for the 1975 VFL Grand Final
1975 VFL Grand Final
The 1975 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the North Melbourne Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 27 September 1975. It was the 79th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...
by coach John Kennedy and other members of the selection committee, who determined that he was not match fit. The Hawks lost the Grand Final to 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...
.
Crimmins died just days after the club's 1976 premiership win
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...
, which was also played against North Melbourne. He was an inspiration to the Hawthorn team that year whose illness was used by Kennedy to urge the side to win for the "little fella". The image of a stricken Crimmins holding the premiership cup and surrounded by team-mates is captured in Jamie Cooper's painting the Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport He was survived by his wife and two sons.
The Hawthorn FC Best & Fairest award is called the Peter Crimmins Medal
Peter Crimmins Medal
The Peter Crimmins Medal is an Australian rules football award given to the player from the Hawthorn Football Club deemed best and fairest for the season.Peter Crimmins was a rover for Hawthorn, playing 1966-1975...
in his honour. Crimmins' number 5 team jumper is displayed in his honour in Hawthorn's club room at Glenferrie Oval
Glenferrie Oval
Glenferrie Oval is an Australian rules football stadium located in Hawthorn, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.It is the historic home of and is synonymous with the Hawthorn Football Club, who played there from 1903 and as a VFL/AFL club from 1925–1973, and retained the ground as an...
, the only jumper on display.