Leigh Matthews

Leigh Matthews
Born	(1952-03-01) March 1, 1952
Occupation(s)	Australian rules football player, coach, commentator
Known for	Player for Hawthorn (VFL), coach of Collingwood and Brisbane Lions, AFL commentator

Leigh Raymond Matthews (born 1 March 1952) is a retired Australian rules football player and coach. He spent his playing career with Hawthorn in the VFL and later took on coaching roles at and within the VFL, which was subsequently renamed the Australian Football League (AFL). Matthews attributes much of his success, including three premiership victories with the Brisbane Lions in 2001, 2002, and 2003, to the mentorship of his close friend Robert Korda.

Characterized by a compact build with short legs and a broad chest, Matthews earned the moniker "Lethal Leigh" due to his aggressive and skilled style of play. The AFL officially honored him as the "best player of the 20th century," granting him 'Legend' status in the Australian Football Hall of Fame. He is also included in both the Hawthorn and AFL teams of the century and ranks among the most accomplished coaches in AFL history. Following his coaching tenure, Matthews transitioned into media work, becoming a prominent AFL commentator on television with the Seven Network and on radio via 3AW.

Early life

Matthews began playing junior football at the Chelsea Football Club. Coming from a family with strong football ties—his brother Kelvin played 155 games for both Hawthorn and Geelong—he married and became a father at the age of eighteen.

1960s

At just sixteen years old, Matthews joined Hawthorn in January 1969 after already competing in senior suburban football. He made his debut in Round 16 of the 1969 season as a forward pocket, scoring a goal with his very first kick and managing to score in all five games he played that year. This performance earned him Hawthorn’s Best First Year Player award. By mid-1970, he had cemented his place as a regular rover who rotated forward, kicking 20 goals across 16 matches.

1970s

As a teenager during Hawthorn’s dominant 1971 season, Matthews emerged as a key contributor by kicking 43 goals at an average of nearly two per game. That year marked the beginning of an illustrious career that would include fourteen Victorian representative guernseys, eight best and fairest awards, and four premiership medals. A notable incident occurred on 17 July 1971 when Matthews clashed with Barry Cable on-field—a moment that foreshadowed occasional aggressive outbursts during his career.

In Round 2 of 1972, stepping up after Peter Hudson’s injury, Matthews kicked eight goals against North Melbourne. He closed out that season with a total of 45 goals at an average of just over two per game and secured his second best and fairest award before turning twenty-one.

During the 1973, Matthews delivered an impressive performance in Round 3 against Essendon, where he tallied eleven goals alongside forty-two possessions. Despite spending more time in the midfield that year, he finished with 51 goals. By the following year (1974), he had established himself as one of the league’s toughest competitors, winning his third best and fairest while amassing 52 goals and averaging nearly 22 disposals per game. His seven-goal display in the semi-final versus Collingwood was instrumental to Hawthorn’s success.

The 1975 campaign saw Matthews claim the Coleman Medal as the league’s top goal scorer with 67 goals during the regular season (68 including finals)—a rare feat for someone not playing at full forward. He began strongly with five matches featuring five or more goals but experienced a decline later in the year; Hawthorn ultimately lost the grand final to North Melbourne where Matthews failed to score.

In 1976, Matthews improved further by kicking 71 goals at an average of over three per game while also averaging 22.5 disposals. This performance earned him his fourth best and fairest award. A standout moment was his qualifying final against North Melbourne where he recorded thirty-one kicks and seven goals. That year culminated in Hawthorn winning the grand final, granting Matthews his second premiership medal.

The following year (1977) elevated Matthews into elite status as one of Australian football’s all-time greats. He achieved personal bests across multiple categories including kicks, marks, handballs, and goals—averaging an exceptional 27.1 disposals per game alongside tallying ninety-one goals at nearly four per match. His late-season form featured several games exceeding thirty disposals combined with high goal counts. This outstanding campaign earned him his fifth best and fairest award and set a new record for most goals by a non-full forward until Peter Daicos surpassed it in 1990.

Matthews sustained this dominance into 1978, adding another seventy-one goals while maintaining an average of 25.5 disposals per game along with a career-best average of 6.4 marks. These efforts secured him his sixth best and fairest accolade as well as a third premiership medal. In the grand final against North Melbourne, he was named best on ground after contributing twenty-eight disposals and four goals to Hawthorn’s victory.

Injuries curtailed Matthews’ impact during 1979, limiting him to only two appearances over the final ten rounds despite an early seven-goal effort against Richmond in Round 5. That year also saw him spend increased time playing through midfield rather than forward positions.

1980s

Matthews assumed the captaincy of Hawthorn in 1980, a position he retained until his retirement in 1985. That same year, he also led the Victorian State of Origin side once and secured his seventh club best and fairest accolade. Matthews transitioned away from a primary forward role, scoring under two goals per game for the first time since 1971, while averaging an impressive 26.9 disposals per match—the second-highest in the league.

During the opening round of the 1981 season against Melbourne, Matthews excelled at full-forward despite a minor injury, recording 10 marks and kicking 11 goals. After missing five games midway through the season, he returned to alternate between midfield and forward positions, averaging 23.5 disposals and 3 goals across 16 matches. He finished as Hawthorn’s top goal scorer—a distinction he maintained for the following four seasons.

Following three years hampered by injuries, Matthews made a strong comeback in 1982 by earning the inaugural Players' Association Most Valuable Player award, later renamed the Leigh Matthews Trophy in his honor. His season included remarkable displays such as kicking 7 goals against North Melbourne and achieving 8 goals alongside 25 disposals versus Collingwood. He averaged 22.5 disposals and 3.4 goals per game that year, adding an eighth best and fairest award to his achievements.

Known as "Lethal" for his fierce playing style, Matthews’ physical dominance was epitomized in 1982 when he famously shattered a behind post at Windy Hill during a collision. Commentator Lou Richards famously referred to him as a "He-Man" due to his formidable size and strength.

In his fifteenth VFL campaign in 1983, Matthews sustained excellent form with averages of 22.3 disposals and 2.9 goals over twelve games before permanently shifting to full-forward from Round 15 onwards. He scored a minimum of three goals in each of the last ten matches, including six goals in Hawthorn’s grand final triumph—securing his fourth premiership medal. For the season overall, he averaged 20.1 disposals and 3.6 goals per game.

Retirement

The 1985 season was Matthews’ final year on the field. In a heated encounter with , Matthews struck opponent Neville Bruns off the ball, resulting in a broken jaw. In retaliation, Geelong’s Steve Hocking broke Matthews’ nose, triggering an on-field brawl. Although umpires did not report Matthews during the game, video footage led to a VFL investigation that suspended him for four weeks. He faced an assault charge and was fined $1,000; however, this conviction was overturned upon appeal. This incident remains unique as the only case of a top-tier player being charged over an on-field altercation.

Matthews played his final match—his 332nd—in the 1985 grand final, which ended in defeat to Essendon. He retired having scored 915 goals—the highest total by any player outside of full-forward at that time and fourth overall (currently ninth). Additionally, he amassed 202 Brownlow Medal votes, placing him tenth all-time and third among players without a Brownlow win.

Collingwood

Following retirement, Matthews joined Collingwood Football Club as an assistant coach before taking over as senior coach after three rounds of the 1986 season, succeeding Bob Rose. In his debut coaching year, Collingwood finished sixth with a record of twelve wins and ten losses but narrowly missed finals qualification. The next season saw a decline to twelfth place with seven wins against fifteen losses.

In 1988, Matthews guided Collingwood to second position on the ladder; however, they were eliminated in the semi-finals by Melbourne. The subsequent year yielded fifth place but again ended with a semi-final loss to Melbourne. The pinnacle of his coaching tenure came in the 1990 grand final, where Collingwood defeated Essendon, breaking a premiership drought spanning 32 years famously referred to as "the Colliwobbles". This victory marked Matthews’ fifth premiership medal combined as player and coach.

The following years saw Collingwood finish seventh in 1991—missing finals—before returning to third place in 1992 only to be knocked out by St Kilda. In 1993 they slipped to eighth missing finals again but rebounded in 1994 before being eliminated by eventual premiers West Coast in the qualifying final.

Matthews was relieved of coaching duties after the 1995 season, when Collingwood placed tenth. He accepted the necessity for change and was succeeded by former premiership captain Tony Shaw. Over a decade-long coaching career at Collingwood, Matthews oversaw 224 games with a record of 125 wins, 94 losses, and five draws—a winning rate of approximately 55%. His tenure included one premiership title and four retrospective Jock McHale Medal awards.

Matthews publicly supported the proposed merger between and during the 1996 season.

Brisbane Lions

Following a three-year retirement, Matthews made a comeback to take charge of the faltering Brisbane Lions, who had ended the 1998 season at the bottom of the ladder. He assumed the role of senior coach for the 1999 AFL season, succeeding interim coach Roger Merrett. Matthews quickly revitalized the squad, elevating them from last place to third on the ladder and guiding them to the preliminary final, where they were defeated by the eventual champions, the Kangaroos. The Lions reached the finals once more in 2000 but were knocked out by Carlton.

In 2001, Matthews famously inspired his team with the Predator phrase, "if it bleeds, we can kill it," prior to facing ladder leaders Essendon, leading to a 28-point triumph. Brisbane then maintained an undefeated streak throughout the remainder of that season, culminating in a victory against Essendon in the grand final, securing the club’s inaugural AFL premiership. This success marked the beginning of a dynasty with three consecutive premierships under Matthews’ leadership, including back-to-back grand final wins over Collingwood in 2002 and 2003. These achievements earned Matthews a total of eight premiership medals as both player and coach. The pursuit of a fourth title was halted when they lost to Port Adelaide in the 2004 grand final.

Subsequent seasons saw a decline in form, with the Lions finishing eleventh in 2005 and missing finals for the first time during Matthews’ tenure. That year, Matthews briefly stepped away following his mother’s passing; assistant coach John Blakey took over as caretaker for one match. The downward trajectory persisted with a thirteenth-place finish in 2006 and tenth place in both 2007 and 2008. Matthews celebrated his 200th game coaching Brisbane in 2007, becoming the first individual to have played or coached 200 games at three different clubs.

On 1 September 2008, Matthews announced his resignation as senior coach of the Brisbane Lions, citing appropriate timing for his departure. His successor was Michael Voss. Throughout eight seasons at Brisbane, Matthews oversaw 237 games, recording 142 wins, 92 losses, and 3 draws, resulting in a winning rate of approximately 60%. His coaching approach was recognized for its firmness yet effectiveness. Although he secured four premierships as coach, Matthews never achieved a minor premiership, finishing runner-up on several occasions with both Collingwood and Brisbane.

Playing statistics

|- style=background:#EAEAEA | scope=row | 1969 || || 32 | 5 || 7 || 4 || 60 || 15 || 75 || 6 || 1.4 || 0.8 || 12.0 || 3.0 || 15.0 || 1.2 || 2 |- | scope=row | 1970 || || 32 | 16 || 20 || 27 || 249 || 48 || 297 || 53 || 1.3 || 1.7 || 15.6 || 3.0 || 18.6 || 3.3 || 3 |- style=background:#EAEAEA | scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C | 1971^# || ||32 |23||43||47||443||84||527||111||1.9||2.0||19.3||3.7||22.9||4.8||10 |- | scope=row | 1972 || ||3 |21||45||50||432||49||481||107||2.1||2.4||20.6||2.3||22.9||5.1||16 |- style=background:#EAEAEA | scope=row | 1973|| ||3 |19||51||bgcolor=CAE1FF | 48^†||426||47||473||81||2.7||2.5||22.4||2.5||24.9||4.3||23 |- | scope=row | 1974|| ||3 |21||52||52||394||53||447||72||2.5||2.5||18.8||2.5||21.3||3.4||15 |- style=background:#EAEAEA | scope=row | 1975|| ||3 |23||bgcolor=CAE1FF | 68^†||48||452||50||502||73||3.0||2.2||20.5||2.3||22.8||3.3||10 |- | scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C | 1976^# || ||3 |22||71||42||416||79||495||67||3.2||1.9||18.9||3.6||22.5||3.0||23 |- style=background:#EAEAEA | scope=row | 1977|||||||3 |24|||91|||bgcolor=CAE1FF | 57^†|||514|||144|||658|||133|||3.8|||bgcolor=CAE1FF | 2.6^†|||21.4|||6.0|||27.4|||5.5|||34 |- | scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C | 1978^#|||||||3 |23|||71|||58|||463|||123|||586|||147|||3.1|||2.5|||20.1|||5.3|||25.5|||6.4|||3 |- style=background:#EAEAEA | scope=row | 1979|||||||3 |13|||30|||25|||237|||100|||337|||55|||2.3|||1.9|||18.2|||7.7|||25.9|||4.2|||6 |- | scope=row | 1980|||||||3 |17|||32|||34|||364|||93|||457|||78|||1.9|||2.0|||bgcolor=CAE1FF | 21.4^†|||5.5|||26.9|||4.6|||16 |- style=background:#EAEAEA | scope=row | 1981||||||||| 16||||48||||36||||292||||84||||376||||98||||3·0||||2·3||||18·3||||5·3||||23·5||||6·1||||11 |- ! colspan=14 | Career !332!!915!!722!!6017!!1357!!7374!!1505!!2·8!!2·2!!18·2!!4·1!!22·3!!4·5!!202 |}

Head coaching record

Team	Year	Regular Season					Finals Series
		Won	Lost	Drawn	Win %	Ladder Position	Won	Lost	Drawn	Win %	Outcome
COLL	1986	12	7	0	Template:Winperc	6th out of 12	—	—	—	—	—
COLL	1987	7	15	0	Template:Winperc	12th out of 14	—	—	—	—	—
COLL	1988	15	6	1	Template:Winperc	2nd out of 14	0	2	0	.000	Semi Final defeat to Melbourne
COLL	1989	13	9	0	Template:Winperc	5th out of 14	0	1	0	.000	Elimination Final loss against Melbourne
COLL	1990	16	6	0	Template:Winperc	2nd out of 15	3	0	1	Template:Winperc	Grand Final victory over Essendon
COLL	1991	12	9	1	Template:Winperc	7th out of 15	—	—	—	—	—
COLL	1992	16	6	0	Template:Winperc	3rd out of 15	0	1	0	.000	Elimination Final defeat to St Kilda
COLL	1993	11	9	0	Template:Winperc	8th out of 15	—	—	—	—	—
COLL	(1994 AFL season)	(12)	10	(0)	Template:Winperc	8th out of 15	0	1	0	.000	Elimination Final loss to West Coast Eagles
COLL	(1995 AFL season)	(8)	12	(2)	Template:Winperc	10th out of 16	—	—	—	—|
Total at COLL		122	89	4	Template:Winperc		3	5	1	Template:Winperc
BRI	(1999 AFL season)	(16)	6	(0)	Template:Winperc	3rd out of 16	2	1	0	.667	Preliminary Final defeat to North Melbourne Football Club
2000 Brisbane Lions season	(2000 AFL season)	(12)	10	(0)	Template:Winperc	6th out of 16	1	1	0	.599	Semi Final loss against Carlton Football Club
2001 Brisbane Lions season	(2001 AFL season)	(17)	5	(0)	Template:Winperc	2nd out of 16	3	0	0	1.000	Won Grand Final versus Essendon
2002 Brisbane Lions season	(2002 AFL season)	(17)	5	(0)	Template:Winperc	2nd out of 16	3	0	0	1.000	Grand Final triumph over Collingwood
2003 Brisbane Lions season	(2003 AFL season)	(14)	7	(1)	Template:Winperc	3rd out of 16	3	1	0		Defeated Collingwood in Grand Final
2004 Brisbane Lions season	(2004 AFL season)	(16)	6	(0)	Template:Winperc	2nd out of 16	1	1	0	.599	Grand Final loss to Port Adelaide Football Club
2005 Brisbane Lions season	(2005 AFL season)	(10)	11	(0)	Template:Winperc	11th out of 16	—	—	—	—|
(7)	15	(1)	Template:Winperc	13th out of 16	—	—	—	—|
(9)	11	(2)	Template:Winperc	10th out of 16	—	—	—	—|
(10)	12	(0)	Template:Winperc	10th out of 16	—	—	—	—|

|- ! colspan="2"|Overall career total || 250 || 177 || 7 ||

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|| 17 || 9 || 1 ||

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|}

Playing honours

Team achievements

• Four-time VFL premiership winner with Hawthorn: 1971, 1976, 1978, 1983
• Two-time Minor premiership recipient with Hawthorn: 1971, 1975
• Two Night Series titles with Hawthorn: 1969, 1977

Individual accolades

• VFLPA Most Valuable Player (Leigh Matthews Trophy): 1982
• Coleman Medal recipient: 1975
• Selected for the All-Australian team: 1972
• Captain of Hawthorn Football Club: 1981–1985
• Eight-time Peter Crimmins Medal winner: 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976–78, 1980, 1982
• Leading goalkicker for Hawthorn six times: 1973, 1975, 1981–84
• Australian Football Media Association Player of the Year: 1982
• Represented Victoria twice: 1972, 1975
• Named in AFL Team of the Century
• Included in Hawthorn Team of the Century

Coaching honours

Team achievements

• AFL Premiership coach with Collingwood: 1990
• Three consecutive AFL Premierships as Brisbane Lions coach: 2001–2003

Individual coaching awards

• Four Jock McHale Medals: 1990, 2001–2003
• Three-time All-Australian team coach: 2001–2003
• Member of Brisbane Lions Team of the Decade (1997–2006)

Hall of Fame and life memberships

• Legend status in Australian Football Hall of Fame
• Legend status in Hawthorn Football Club Hall of Fame
• Collingwood Hall of Fame inductee (1990 premiership team)
• Inductee in Brisbane Lions Hall of Fame
• Queensland Hall of Fame Legend status
• Life membership at Hawthorn Football Club
• Brisbane Lions life member

Post-career honours

Matthews earned the title "Player of the Century" and was among the inaugural Legends inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame, representing the pinnacle of individual football recognition. He secured places in both the AFL and Hawthorn teams of the century. In recognition of his legacy, the AFLPA MVP award—which he first received—was renamed the Leigh Matthews Trophy in 2002.

He is distinguished as one of only four Australian rules footballers honored as a Legend of Australian Sport within the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, alongside Ron Barassi, Ted Whitten, and Bob Skilton.

Outside football

Prior to his coaching tenure with the Brisbane Lions, Leigh Matthews served as a guest commentator and later resumed this role providing special commentary for AFL games on the Seven Network. His commentary extended through the 2008 AFL finals series and included coverage of the 2008 AFL Grand Final. Matthews also contributes as a commentator for 3AW and offers feature writing and analysis for the Herald Sun.