Matthews earned the nickname ‘Lethal’ thanks to his reputation for giving (and taking) plenty of hard bumps - none harder than one back in 1982 during a clash between Hawthorn and Essendon at Windy Hill where he famously collided with a point post - snapping it in two.
Confirming his legendary reputation, this moment has been re-enacted with the help of Toyota ambassadors and lovable larrikins Stephen Curry and Dave Lawson to become the latest installment of Toyota’s Legendary Moments advertising campaign.
Scott Thompson, Toyota Divisional Manager, National Marketing says that Matthews was a natural choice for the latest Legendary Moment advertisement.
“Leigh Matthews’ playing career was filled with many legendary moments of skill and prowess on the football field but this one has certainly stuck in people’s minds because it was so extraordinary. Leigh was a natural choice for Toyota,” Thompson said.
Former AFL players who star in the commercials are not given a script and have no advance warning of scenes.
"I'm just a straight man to Dave and Stephen. They keep me in the dark deliberately," Matthews said.
Matthews, a Legend in the AFL Hall of Fame who kicked 915 goals in his playing career, was happy to relive the Legendary Moment.
“To be honest I didn’t realise I had broken the post until I was in the change room and complained about a sore elbow. It was then that a trainer told me what had happened,” Matthews said.
The Legendary Moments ads have captured the imagination of sports fans nationwide since they burst onto the scene in 2005 to celebrate famous (and infamous) moments in sport. Other great moments feature the likes of Peter Hudson, Dermott Brereton, Peter Daicos, James Hird and Tony Lockett.
Airing for the first time during week one of the Toyota AFL Finals Series, the advertisement has already created a buzz. Matthews’ resurrection of his ‘Legendary Moment’ brings the series to a total of 12 advertisements.
