A centre half-forward with strong marking skills and a reliable kick for goal, Brereton was renowned for his flamboyant style and rugged on-field conduct, which resulted in frequent visits to the Tribunal.
He has since become a respected member of the football media, working for various TV and radio stations in Melbourne covering the AFL as a commentator and analyst.
[2] In an article published by the Herald Sun in 2010, Brereton revealed to journalist Mark Robinson about his father's dark past, cocaine addiction and 1993 suicide.
[2] Dermott Brereton featured on the cover of the Inside the Battle of '89 DVD in a memorable-moment pose after recovering from a solid Mark Yeates shirtfront.
This incident was in retaliation to a free kick paid against Brereton for kissing Essendon's Billy Duckworth while Jason Dunstall lined up for goal.
In one of the toughest grand finals in the league's history, Brereton was lined up at the centre bounce by Geelong Football Club's Mark Yeates and hit with a solid shirtfront.
During his career at Hawthorn, Brereton was selected to play representative State of Origin football for Victoria nine times and kicked a total of 18 goals in this format.
[4] The struggling Sydney Swans under coach Ron Barassi were in need of a big-name player capable of helping to turn around the team's performance as well as draw crowds to their home games at the SCG.
He received another seven-week suspension in that same year when Richmond's Tony Free had his jaw broken with an alleged karate chop.
While he starred in some upset wins[9][10] he spent more time off the field than on it resulting in Barassi labeling the experiment a disappointment and not offering Brereton a contract extension.
[citation needed] Still wanting to perform at the highest level, Brereton worked on his fitness over the 1994–95 off-season and once again made himself available for the national draft.
[15] One of the most notable incidents during his term as director was his alleged involvement in the run-up to a bench-clearing brawl between Hawthorn and Essendon in a 2004 encounter that became known as the Line in the Sand Match.
[18] In 2006, he began playing in the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League with Division 1 club Woori Yallock alongside his 1995 Collingwood teammate Damian Monkhorst, kicking two goals on debut.
During the 1980s, he had a six-year stint on a morning show hosted by veteran television performer Ernie Sigley, who mentored the ambitious Brereton.
In the early 1990s, he joined Channel Nine when the network began showing interest in Australian football for the first time in more than twenty years.
In previous years, he has also co-hosted the breakfast show on Melbourne FM station Gold 104.3 with Greg Evans, and he had also been a commentator on another FM station, Triple M. In 2005, he appeared in a Toyota Memorable Moments advertisement featuring Stephen Curry that satirised the famous 1989 Grand Final incident with Geelong player Mark Yeates.