AS A YOUNG footballer growing up in the outer-eastern Melbourne suburb of Ringwood, Paul Vander Haar wanted to emulate his idol Peter Knights.  

But on a mid-winter's afternoon in 1978, it was a case of the master taking on the apprentice as the young Bomber suddenly found himself lining up against his boyhood hero.  

Vander Haar had been a keen Hawthorn supporter who attracted Essendon's attention as he lived in the club's metropolitan zone, joining the Bombers in 1977.  

The pair had not played on each other before they met at Windy Hill, when champion Hawks centre half-back Knights was opposed to rising star Vander Haar at centre half-forward.  

What happened in the next two hours of that round 11 encounter has gone down as a classic clash of two of the game's greatest high-flyers.  

Vander Haar was 20 and playing only his 24th game after bursting into League football the previous season. He had returned to action only six weeks earlier after sustaining a serious neck injury in a trail bike accident during the off-season.  

Knights was in his 10th League season and had been a premiership player two years earlier.  

Hawthorn established an early break and eventually won a high-scoring affair by 29 points, but the Vander Haar-Knights duel was the big talking point post-match.  

Statistics on the day recorded Knights had taken 10 contested marks, while Vander Haar had grabbed six and kicked two goals.  

The Flying Dutchman: Paul Vander Haar in full flight


Both saw it as a challenge and tried to get the better of each other at every contest.  

"I felt I needed to put him back in his place because he'd already started to make a very early name for himself," Knights recalled this week.

"This was obviously going to be a challenge for me."  

In an interesting twist, the pair had been teammates only a week earlier when they were part of a massive Victorian win in an interstate match against Western Australia at Waverley Park.  

Knights and Vander Haar had plenty in common.

While their off-field persona and preparation differed greatly, there were stark similarities in their styles – the courageous attack on the ball and the ability to perform spectacular feats.  

They were tall, blond athletes who backed themselves to beat their opponents in the air.

 

"By this stage I'd had the licence to go for my marks and if I felt I was caught behind I would punch the ball," Knights said.

"I tended to back myself in and play that way. I used athleticism, I used to run and jump so I used to play to my strengths."  

Vander Haar admitted he learned a lot from playing on Knights that day and on subsequent occasions when they clashed.  

"It was only my second year, so I was still getting my feet on the ground," he said.

"Back in those days, I don't think I worried too much about defence, it was just go for the ball."  

In his later years under Kevin Sheedy, Vander Haar spent time in the back half and the experience of playing on a champion defender such as Knights helped him.  

Knights, 66, and Vander Haar, 60, have remained close friends and catch up occasionally to reminisce about the good ol' days.  

The game 40 years ago often comes up and Knights is quick to remind 'Vander' which team took the four premiership points.  

But the memories live on and thanks to video highlights, fans of all generations have the chance to marvel at the battle between two of the best marking exponents in history.