Hawthorn were the reigning premiers, having defeated Melbourne in the 1988 VFL Grand Final by a record margin of 96 points, while for Geelong it was their first appearance in a Grand
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Hawthorn were the reigning premiers, having defeated Melbourne in the 1988 VFL Grand Final by a record margin of 96 points, while for Geelong it was their first appearance in a Grand Final since losing to Richmond in the 1967 VFL Grand Final.
At the conclusion of the regular home-and-away season, Hawthorn had finished on top of the ladder with 19 wins and 3 losses. Geelong had finished third (behind Essendon) with 16 wins and 6 losses. The Cats also set a new record for the highest points total scored in a home-and-away season, having scored 425 goals and 366 behinds for a total of 2916 points, an average of nearly 133 points per game.
In the finals series leading up to the game, Geelong lost the Qualifying Final to Essendon by 76 points, before beating Melbourne by 63 points in the First Semi-Final, and then defeating Essendon by 94 points in the Preliminary Final to advance to the Grand Final. Hawthorn had a much easier run, defeating Essendon in the Second Semi-Final to advance straight to the Grand Final.
In the week leading up to the Grand Final, Geelong's Paul Couch was awarded the Brownlow Medal.
