Moore’s No.13 Dear to his heart
When Dylan Moore switched to the No.13 Hawthorn jumper ahead of the 2022 season, one name and a few words sitting above the locker piqued his interest.
It read: “Paul Dear, premiership player”
Growing up a Hawks supporter, he knew the Dear name but didn’t necessarily know the full backstory until he started doing some research.
He got the chance to meet Paul – who won the 1991 Norm Smith Medal after a stunning grand final performance that helped to sink West Coast – but sadly their connection was far too brief.
Paul died of pancreatic cancer in mid 2022, aged only 55.
But two years on, Moore’s link to the No.13 and to Dear’s family – particularly his widow Cherie and one of his sons Calsher, who was drafted by the Hawks last year – is something that he will forever cherish.
“Paul came in about two years ago and spoke to us all,” Moore recalled this week ahead of Hawthorn’s Easter Monday ‘Dare to Hope’ clash with Geelong at the MCG.
“I was (wearing) 13 at that stage, so I was able to get a bit of a connection to him.
“I have been able to get to know his family, Cherie and the kids, and it’s great now that I get the chance to play alongside ‘Calsh’.”
Moore and Cherie Dear are urging Hawthorn, Geelong and footy fans of any persuasion to turn the MCG into a sea of purple for their traditional Easter Monday game.
Cherie and her four sons, as well as the Hawks and the Pancare Foundation, have worked tirelessly in recent years on the Dare to Hope initiative, to raise money and awareness for pancreatic cancer.