THERE is a look of sadness on the face of former St Kilda defender Bob Murray as he ponders how the Saints lost the 1971 VFL Grand Final after they led by 27 points midway through the third quarter.

"I actually liken losing a Grand Final to losing someone close to you; someone close to you dying," Murray says.

"It's just that same sort of feeling and, over time, you get used to it, but you never really forget how you felt."

Murray's recollections form part of a documentary about the match, which the Saints lost by seven points. 

Titled The Final Story-40 Years On, the documentary is the first in a series of four produced by AFL Media's renowned filmmaker Peter Dickson to commemorate the 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001 Grand Finals.

The 1971 game was one of the toughest and most gripping premiership deciders in the game's history.

It was punctuated by a number of fearsome collisions, none more brutal than when Saints hard-man Kevin 'Cowboy' Neale flattened Hawthorn's champion full-forward Peter Hudson during the first quarter.

Hudson, who had equalled Bob Pratt's tally of 150 goals in a season before the hit from Neale, later had two close-range shots to eclipse the record. Still dazed, and sporting a big gash in his right ear, he missed them both.

Not only does the documentary feature the memories of Hudson, it also includes the thoughts of Bob Keddie, then a high-flying Hawthorn half-forward. Now 65, Keddie has a glint in his eye as he talks about his match-winning haul of four goals in the second half.

There is brutal honesty from Hawks premiership captain Don Scott, whose three-quarter time address to his teammates set them on their path to victory.

"Did I have sympathy for St Kilda? No, none at all, because they were just a team," Scott says.

"I've been in that situation of being beaten; it's a horrible feeling, but no sympathy at all."

Some of the most telling comments come from the final interview granted by St Kilda’s 1971 coach Allan Jeans, who died in July after a long battle with illness.

"You don't know how you’re going to be respected at the end of your time," Jeans says, while sitting alongside legendary Hawthorn coach John Kennedy.

"All I say to the people of today is, 'Yes, you're entitled to make big money out of the game. But you must promise us one thing: you leave our game in such a state that the next generation has the same opportunities as we did'."

The Final Story-40 Years On will be screened by Channel Nine on Sunday, September 4. See local guides for details.