Hawthorn legend Peter Knights confirms vicious rumour about his time coaching Warwick Capper

AFL great Peter Knights revealed his decision to drop superstar Warwick Capper cost him his job as coach of the Brisbane Bears.

The Hawthorn great was the Bears’ first ever coach as the club joined the VFL in 1986 as part of the league’s plans to expand beyond Victoria and made its debut a year later.

Collingwood great Mark Williams and 1985 Brownlow medallist Brad Hardie signed for the Bears ahead of their inaugural season and were joined in 1988 by Essendon gun Roger Merett and Capper.

The crop of ageing stars posed a problem for Knights, who was told in no uncertain terms by president Paul Cronin and the late owner Christopher Skase the quartet could not be dropped 

‘About the second year it was said to us that there’s about four players that are assets […] and under no circumstances should they be dropped,’ Knights told Channel 7’s The Front Bar on Thursday. 

‘And it really wasn’t a problem for the majority of them.

‘It was Mark Mickan our captain, Mark Williams, Roger Merett, Brad Hardie, and Capps [Capper] was the other one.’

Capper had led the Sydney Swans goalkicking charts in each of the previous four years, kicking 103 goals in 1987 before signing a three-year deal worth $1.2 million  with the Bears.

The cash-strapped Swans were all too happy to accept the $475,000 transfer fee and Capper moved north of the border, where he booted 45 majors in his debut season with the Carrara-based outfit. 

Behind the scenes, however, all was not well and Knights wanted to drop the star forward after a string of bad performances. 

‘Capps was the only one that lost a bit form and a bit of confidence and we needed him to go back and play in the local competition,’ he said.

‘And I suppose when I did that, when I went against the owners, that was the beginning of the end for me.’

The move cost Knights the job as he was sacked before the end of the 1989 season.

The Bears signed Sydney Swans superstar Warwick Capper to a three-year deal in 1988 

Knights, however, insisted his decision to drop Capper had received the green light from Skase, who by then had fled to Spain after his financial empire collapsed. 

‘I actually tracked Christopher Skase down over in Spain at that particular stage,’ he said.

‘I got onto him overseas. I went above the CEO.

‘He actually understood the game a little bit. 

‘When I explained it was so important for Warwick to go back and regain his confidence and his touch, he said: “Go ahead”.

Capper booted 45 goals in his debut season for the Bears but Knights wanted to drop him

‘So I guess I went over the CEO’s head […] and as I said, once I did that, [that was the end].’ 

The Bears finished second from bottom in both of Knights’ full seasons in charge, but Capper admitted his former coach was put in an impossible position. 

‘A good bloke though, at least he gave it a go,’ he told The Age in 2014. 

‘It wasn’t all Peter’s fault, probably half his fault […] we didn’t have the cattle and most of the stars were ageing stars.’