It is a story of bravery — on and off the field — but also of tragedy and heartbreak. Of a life that burned so brightly, but was snuffed out by testicular cancer before its time.
But what they cannot hope to detail is the impact Crimmins had on those around him during his short 28 years — and that is where Dan Eddy's new book Crimmo comes in.
From his early years in and around the Goulburn Valley to his final moments and beyond, the tapestry of Crimmins’ life is woven expertly by Eddy as he picks up every thread and follows it to its conclusion.
Combining a mixture of in-depth research and anecdotes from those closest to Crimmins, Eddy creates a piece of work which feels in itself laden with the intangible essence of the Hawthorn champion, with more of the man who all in the brown and gold aspire to live up to seeping out with every turn of the page.
Of particular interest to those in the Goulburn Valley is the ability for Eddy to peel back the curtain on Crimmins’ time in Shepparton, speaking to those who knew him as the fearless blond rascal who would soar off the 10 m diving platform at Victoria Park Lake without pause or sabotage his own brother's chance at captaining an under-15 representative football side just to get a game himself as a 13-year-old.
There is also no shying away from the fact that the same stop-at-nothing approach he showed as a boy may have cost him dearly towards the end of his life as he played through the pain in his testicles in search of the ultimate success.
Crimmo — The Peter Crimmins Story covers all of that and more, giving the reader access to one of the immortalised figures of Australian football like never before.
It is available now through books.slatterymedia.com and daneddybooks.com
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