Knights reached the 250-game milestone the following season against , gathering 23 possessions and kicking two goals, but a knee injury restricted him to just three further games. In 1985, Knights showed traces of brilliant form – kicking nine goals against in Round 10. The Preliminary Final against would turn out to be his final VFL game. He had just four disposals, and was dropped for the Grand Final, a surprising decision for some people, given his reputation as a performer on the VFL's biggest 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.