It was the 87th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1983 VFL season.

The match, attended by 110,332 spectators, was won by Hawthorn by a margin of 83 points, marking that club's fifth premiership victory.

At the conclusion of the home and away season, Hawthorn had finished second on the VFL ladder (one game behind North Melbourne) with 15 wins and 7 losses.

The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Hawthorn's Colin Robertson for being judged the best player afield.

This match was the first in what was to be an all-time record run of seven consecutive Grand Final appearances by the Hawks.