stage. Yet again, Knights would bounce back from the disappointment to finish his career in a semblance of style, kicking a bag of goals to help Hawthorn defeat Carlton in the reserves Grand Final. Coaching career Although Knights enjoyed spectacular success on the field, it was a different story as a senior coach. However, it should also be remembered that he was in charge of teams that were either relatively new and inexperienced (Brisbane), or undergoing restructuring (Hawthorn). Brisbane Bears senior coach In 1986, the VFL decided to expand and include one team each from Western Australia and Queensland. The Brisbane Bears, based on the Gold Coast in South East Queensland, recruited Knights as their inaugural senior coach, despite his lack of coaching experience. The club won their first game, and although expectations of the new side were low, it was considered a significant achievement that the team was able to avoid finishing last in their first season. Despite this, the Bears' results in 1988 and 1989 failed to improve, with the club suffering regular thrashings. Besides the substandard quality of the training and playing facilities, lack of assistance from the VFL, and squad disharmony, Knights also had limited control over team selection; part way through the 1988 VFL season, he wanted star signing Warwick Capper dropped from the senior team due to poor form, but was overruled by club president Paul Cronin. Knights was sacked as Brisbane Bears senior coach with seven games remaining in the 1989 season and replaced with team psychologist, Paul Feltham. Knights was considered to have been unlucky, as ineffective club management and poor relationships amongst his underperforming players seen as major contributing factors in the club's performance. Devonport Football Club Kneights then went to do brief coaching stint at Tasmanian club Devonport from 1990 to 1993, Hawthorn Football Club senior coach Knights returned to Hawthorn as senior coach for the 1994 AFL season. He managed to lead the team into the finals series, but were knocked out by in the first final. The following year the team finished second last, however, and Knights was again sacked. Other coaching roles In 2009, Knights was appointed senior representative coach of the Victorian Country Football League and held the position until 2016. Statistics Playing statistics |- | 1969 || || 24 | 5 || 3 || 1 || 34 || 9 || 43 || 10 || 0.6