AFL legend Dermott Brereton has delivered an emotional account of the lifelong toll football has taken on his body, revealing he now struggles to perform even the simplest tasks like putting on shoes or shaking hands.
The five-time premiership forward spoke candidly at the Melbourne Cricket Club during the Norm Smith Oration, detailing his painful daily challenges caused by a career built on fearless, physical football.
The man who once played through shattered ribs now needs help tying his laces.
‘I pathetically allow myself to become melancholy and even teary,’ he admitted.
‘Some mornings my beautiful partner Julie has to put on my shoes and socks for me.
‘With the pain in my spine, where they inserted a cage, I can’t reach.’
Dermott Brereton discusses his physical decline following years of courageous play in the AFL
Brereton struggles with daily tasks due to spinal issues and decades of football injuries
Brereton revealed he sometimes cries from the physical toll football has taken on his body
His body, once built to absorb contact and punishment, now resists everyday movement.
‘Some days I have to walk down the stairs sideways. I haven’t had cartilage in my knees for 40 years.’
Brereton, 59, became a Hawthorn icon during the club’s dominant 1980s era, playing from 1982 to 1992.
He was known for his flamboyance and aggression, famously playing through broken ribs in the 1989 VFL Grand Final.
That trademark fearlessness won him respect and five premierships—but it came at great physical cost.
‘Some days I can’t shake hands with other men,’ he said.
‘If they do, I fear they’ll re-open the broken bones in my hands.’
Reconstructed ankles, damaged shoulders, and arthritic joints now define his day-to-day life.
Despite multiple surgeries, Brereton still battles shoulder pain, arthritis, and reconstructed joints every day
The AFL Hall of Famer shared details of his past treatments, including regular epidural injections
‘Some days I crab my way down the stairs because my ankle won’t flex anymore,’ he added.
Brereton’s speech combined humour and heartbreak as he recalled his upbringing in Frankston and rise to stardom.
He shared the stage with Essendon great Tim Watson, whose light-hearted stories brought laughter to balance the emotion.
‘To be honest with you, Tim, those [mid-’80s] battles took you to the edge of safety,’ Brereton said.
‘And for me, that is always where you get the best view of life.’
He admitted to using powerful anti-inflammatories for decades—Indocin, Brufen, and Voltaren—which left him with ongoing stomach issues.
‘Some nights I sleep very little because of the arthritis in my shoulder joints,’ he said.
That joint damage stemmed from years of heavy weight training to survive the demands of centre half-forward.
Brereton credits football for giving him purpose, discipline, and lifelong friendships despite the toll
In perhaps the most revealing moment, Brereton questioned whether it was all worth it.
‘I often ask myself… in that moment of weakness—was it worth it?’
His answer: ‘I’d do it all over again, exactly the same. Maybe next time, I might go a little harder.’
He recalled receiving regular epidurals just to keep playing during his peak years.
‘In ’86-89, I’d go to Vimy House after games for an epidural. I’d lie in bed all day, then head home.’
Post-retirement, Brereton moved into media and was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
He acknowledged football had given him discipline, fame, romance, wealth, employment, and friendships.
But it also took something dear: his long-term physical independence.
‘It’s also taken away something very dear to me,’ he said.
La Trobe University data, cited by the AFL Players’ Association, shows 76 per cent of past players suffered serious injuries.
Of those, 64 per cent say those injuries still affect their daily lives.
Since 2017, more than 1150 past players have received reimbursements for joint and dental surgeries.