Gary Ayres
Hawthorn
AFL career
269 games70 goals
- Debut
- R18 1978 v FSC5 Aug 1978
- Most recent
- EF 1993 v ADE5 Sept 1993
Coaching career
223 games120 wins102 losses1 draws
- First
- R1 1995 v MEL1 Apr 1995
- Most recent
- R13 2004 v WBD20 June 2004
Stats
1993 | HAW | 17 | 8.7 | 5.8 | 14.5 | 3.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 54 |
1992 | HAW | 14 | 10.2 | 8.1 | 18.4 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 64 |
1991 | HAW | 22 | 11.1 | 7.9 | 19.0 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 71 |
1990 | HAW | 22 | 11.3 | 7.0 | 18.2 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 68 |
1989 | HAW | 24 | 12.8 | 7.0 | 19.8 | 4.4 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 73 |
1988 | HAW | 22 | 14.0 | 6.0 | 20.0 | 5.1 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 74 |
1987 | HAW | 24 | 9.9 | 6.5 | 16.5 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 61 |
1986 | HAW | 25 | 11.1 | 6.9 | 18.0 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 1.2 | - | 0.2 | 0.0 | - |
1985 | HAW | 24 | 12.0 | 4.0 | 16.0 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 1.4 | - | 0.0 | 0.1 | - |
1984 | HAW | 21 | 14.0 | 4.6 | 18.6 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 1.3 | - | 0.1 | 0.1 | - |
1983 | HAW | 18 | 10.5 | 5.3 | 15.8 | 3.8 | 1.8 | 1.5 | - | 0.1 | 0.1 | - |
1982 | HAW | 14 | 8.6 | 7.9 | 16.4 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 0.8 | - | 0.0 | 0.0 | - |
1981 | HAW | 3 | 4.0 | 1.7 | 5.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | - | 0.0 | 0.0 | - |
1980 | HAW | 7 | 6.3 | 2.4 | 8.7 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 1.3 | - | 0.7 | 0.6 | - |
1979 | HAW | 10 | 7.2 | 2.6 | 9.8 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 1.5 | - | 1.1 | 1.2 | - |
1978 | HAW | 2 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 8.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | - | 1.5 | 0.0 | - |
ADE | MCG | EF | 16 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 70 |
BRB | Gabba | R22 | 16 | 6 | 22 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 96 |
ADE | WP | R21 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0.1 | 90 |
CAR | WP | R18 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 64 |
SYD | WP | R17 | 18 | 11 | 29 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 85 |
MEL | MCG | R16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 19 |
NTH | MCG | R13 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 23 |
STK | WP | R12 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 70 |
ESS | WP | R11 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 40 |
FSC | WO | R10 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 25 |
RCH | WP | R9 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 34 |
COL | VP | R8 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 37 |
BRB | WP | R7 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 68 |
ADE | FP | R6 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 65 |
GEE | WP | R4 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 51 |
SYD | SCG | R2 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 27 |
MEL | WP | R1 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 47 |
Bio
Recruited from Warragul, Gary Ayres developed into one of the most formidable defenders in VFL/AFL history, becoming a cornerstone of Hawthorn's dominant 1980s dynasty. While he spent the majority of his career in the back pocket, his physical strength and elite decision-making allowed him to drift into the midfield or marshal the defence from centre half-back when required. Renowned coach Allan Jeans famously described him as "a good driver in heavy traffic," a testament to his unwavering composure and ability to execute skills cleanly under immense pressure.
Ayres remains best known as the ultimate big-game player, holding the distinction as the first man to win two Norm Smith Medals, awarded for best on ground in the 1986 and 1988 Grand Finals. A five-time premiership player and member of Hawthorn's Team of the Century, he took over the captaincy following Michael Tuck's retirement, leading the club for his final two seasons before hanging up the boots in 1993. His reputation as a fierce competitor saw him dubbed "Conan," reflecting a career defined by durability and uncompromising toughness in the contest.
Profile
- Born
- 28 Sept 1960 (age 66y 23d)
- Height
- 187 cm
- Weight
- 95 kg
Teams
Coaching
- Geelong (Senior Coach)1995–1999116 games (W65 L50 D1), 56.0%
- Adelaide (Senior Coach)2000–2004107 games (W55 L52 D0), 51.4%
Honours
- Premiership(5×) 1983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991
- Norm Smith Medal(2×) 1986, 1988
- Hall of Fame1999
- Hawthorn B&F1986
- Hawthorn captain(2×) 1992, 1993
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from Warragul, Gary Ayres developed into one of the most formidable defenders in VFL/AFL history, becoming a cornerstone of Hawthorn's dominant 1980s dynasty. While he spent the majority of his career in the back pocket, his physical strength and elite decision-making allowed him to drift into the midfield or marshal the defence from centre half-back when required. Renowned coach Allan Jeans famously described him as "a good driver in heavy traffic," a testament to his unwavering composure and ability to execute skills cleanly under immense pressure.
Ayres remains best known as the ultimate big-game player, holding the distinction as the first man to win two Norm Smith Medals, awarded for best on ground in the 1986 and 1988 Grand Finals. A five-time premiership player and member of Hawthorn's Team of the Century, he took over the captaincy following Michael Tuck's retirement, leading the club for his final two seasons before hanging up the boots in 1993. His reputation as a fierce competitor saw him dubbed "Conan," reflecting a career defined by durability and uncompromising toughness in the contest.