Paul Dear

Paul Dear
Dear with Hawthorn in 1991
Personal information
Born (1966-12-28)28 December 1966
Died 8 July 2022(2022-07-08) (aged 55)
Original team Churchill
Height 188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 106 kg (234 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1987–1996 Hawthorn 123 (80)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1996.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Paul Dear (28 December 1966 – 8 July 2022) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was awarded the Norm Smith Medal in the 1991 AFL Grand Final.

Playing career

Younger brother of fellow Hawk ruckman Greg Dear, Paul was the smaller of the two; Greg stood at 199 cm to Paul's 188cm. Though giving away inches to taller opponents, Paul would occasionally be the secondary ruckman for the team. The Dear brothers were recruited when the Latrobe Valley was in the Hawthorn zone. A half-forward, Dear made his debut in 1987 and played in that year's Grand Final. He filled in for the unavailable Jason Dunstall at full-forward but ended up on the losing side.

Unable to break into the side during back-to-back premiership years of 1988 and 1989, Dear was consistently named as an emergency.

In 1990, he got regular games, playing 23 games for the year, and his form continued into 1991. He helped Hawthorn defeat West Coast in the 1991 Grand Final with two goals and won the Norm Smith Medal. Dear almost single-handedly turned a nine-point deficit into a ten-point half-time lead by dominating across the Hawthorn half-forward line and setting up several goals.

Later life

In 2020, Dear was diagnosed with untreatable pancreatic cancer. In 2021, Dear appeared on the AFL-centred TV show The Front Bar to promote his charity supporting sufferers of the disease. He died in July 2022, just one week before Hawthorn was to play in the "Dare to Hope" match to raise money for Dare to Hope, the charity that Dear initiated with his wife Cherie. A documentary, entitled Dare to Hope - The Paul Dear Story, was set for release in late 2022.

Family

In 2023, Paul's son Calsher Dear was drafted by Hawthorn under the father-son rule. His eldest son Harry was also drafted by Adelaide in the 2014 AFL Draft, but ultimately did not play any senior matches. In 2025, his daughter Maya was drafted by Hawthorn as the club’s first father-daughter signing.

Statistics

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
  #  
 Played in that season's 
premiership team
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1987Hawthorn13 91434528621130.10.43.85.89.62.31.40
1988Hawthorn13 0–––––––––––––––
1989Hawthorn13 5103025551650.20.06.05.011.03.21.00
1990Hawthorn13 233213199172371102481.40.68.77.516.14.42.13
1991#Hawthorn13 23232218815133988311.01.08.26.614.73.81.30
1992Hawthorn13 13441008118137200.30.37.76.213.92.81.50
1993Hawthorn13 1446798116043230.30.45.65.811.43.13.10
1994Hawthorn13 1910412111523658420.50.26.46.112.43.12.20
1995Hawthorn13 1556797915846140.30.45.35.310.53.10.92
1996Hawthorn13 201459210.00.52.02.54.51.00.50
Career 123806083476115954131970.70.56.86.213.03.41.65

Honours and achievements

Team

Individual

References

  1. ↑ Pancreatic cancer survivor and AFL legend Paul Dear talks about his journey on The Front Bar, 19 September 2021, retrieved 14 July 2022
  2. ↑ "Vale Paul Dear". hawthornfc.com.au. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  3. ↑ Paul Dear | Dare to Hope Trailer, 28 June 2022, retrieved 14 July 2022
  4. ↑ "Paul Dear". AFL Tables. Retrieved 24 October 2021.