Epilogue
Hawthorn's win was dedicated to former captain Peter Crimmins who was dying from cancer. Before the game, Crimmins sent a telegram which Kennedy read to the team:
"Good luck to you and all the boys. It will be a long, hard, 100 minutes but I am sure you will be there at the end. Regards, Peter Crimmins."
Kennedy implored his players to "Do it for the little fella", and later stated that he believed his team was never going to lose. In the evening after the Grand Final victory, Crimmins' team mates carried the premiership cup to Crimmins' hospital bed. He would die three days after the game.
This was Kennedy's last game as Hawthorn coach. He was subsequently appointed coach of North Melbourne in 1985 and in his five seasons there he coached the club to the finals twice.
Hawthorn's next appearance in a Grand Final would be two years later (again against North Melbourne), in the 1978 VFL Grand Final, while North's next appearance would be against Collingwood in the 1977 VFL Grand Final.
Read more about this topic: 1976 VFL Grand Final
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