- Banned
- #1
Try to be unbiased here, Of course many would choose the season their team won the flag. When I say the best, I mean in terms of drama, competitiveness, great football, upsets, the lot. For me 2 seasons spring to mind, 1997, where the Saints topped the home and away ladder after not making the finals the year before and 5 seasons prior, and the Doggies finishing 3rd who were near the bottom also the year before. Port Adelaide in their inaugural season had a chance to make the 8 but couldn't knock off the Sainters at home in their final game and the Blues, who couldn't take advantage of Brisbane's loss to WCE blew a 40 lead to Richmond where Matty Rogers dominated and put paid to Carltons effort to sneak in. Chris Grant won the brownlow medal, but didn't, due to being suspended. Robert Harvey claimed the first of his b2b brownlow counts. The Adelaide Crows coached by Malcolm Blight in his first season in charge won their first ever AFL Premiership overcoming a 40 point deficit against the doggies in the Prelim final with some heroics by Darren Jarman, who later snagged 6 goals in the big one with 5 coming in the last quarter. Andrew McLeod won the norm smith medal where like Robert Harvey the next year in 98, would also win another medal and the Crows would also beat the dogs in the prelim. Jarman followed up that grand final with another 5 second half goals, lightening did indeed strike twice in many ways those years. 1997 saw the last ever game at the Whitten oval { formerly known as the Western Oval } and the emergence of the newly named Brisbane Lions where Several former Fitzroy players joined the Brisbane Bears.
1999 for me was an absolute cracking season. Essendon vs Carlton kicked off proceedings on a thursday night, who would have thought at the time those two teams would meet again in arguably the most pivotal, memorable clash of the season one game shy of the big one. Geelong opened up like a house on fire winning their first 5 games racking up some big scores before getting done to bogey team Hawthorn by 2 points, who'd also have a memorable come from behind victory against the WCE at the WACA erasing a 33 point deficit. That scalp would hail in comparison to the 63 point mammoth come back against the Saints out at Waverley in between the above mentioned games, the biggest come back in history at that point in time. The Hawks would finish the season strong and play finals football the next two years after having 4 out on the sidelines, while the Cats would fade away and not make the 8. 1999 also was the last ever game at Waverley.
West Coast was another strong starting force who triumphed in their opening 6 games before losing to the Saints out at Waverley. The Eagles entered their round 10 clash against the unfancied Carlton top of the AFL ladder expected to take care of the 8th placed boys navy blues. 32 points up at Subiaco and the pot was going according to plan before Aaron Hamill bobbed up to kick 5 majors. WCE suffered just it's 2nd loss of the season, lost again the next week to the Kangas and not long there after the wheels seemed to fall off Port Adelaide style
where they limped into the finals in 5th position 16 points behind the Western Bulldogs in 4th. Fremantle claimed their first ever win against the Eagles in their 10th attempt in emphatic fashion, West Coast also got mauled to the tune of 100 points at the GABBA to surprise packet the Brisbane Lions who finished last the year before and more hammerings by the Bombers and the Saints also came into play. WCE met the Western Bulldogs on a Friday night at the MCG in the opening game of the finals. The Dogs had beat the WCE by 2 points just 2 weeks prior down at Optus. On a wet and windy night in a low scoring encounter WCE triumphed by 5 points led by revelation signing Scott Cummings who kicked 4 majors, 4 of 95 that coleman medal winning year after he left the Bombers the year before. Mick Malthouse went berserk in the coaches box breaking a bone in his hand, the first of many a time we'd see Mick lose his mind. Uncustomary for Mick at that stage of his coaching days. West Coasts season would end the next week where they had to play the Blues in Melbourne due to the MCG regulations of having one game there per week of the finals although Carlton didn't warrant that after finishing 6th on the ladder and copped a 13 goal flogging the week before at the GABBA to the Brisbane Lions, who finished 3rd after 22 games. Carlton demolished WCE by 9 goals setting up a mammoth showdown with arch rival Essendon in the Prelim final where the Dons went in as raging favourites.
The Bombers. Where do I start with them. What a season. Where the hell did they come from? 8th place the year before, 1st place after the conclusion of the home and away season losing just 4 times. A couple of shootouts with the Kangas, one where Matthew Lloyd snagged 7 out of 24 goals but was outshone by the King, Wayne Carey who booted 10 in a losing side. Go check out his banana goal from the boundary. Freakish. Matty Lloyd booted 13 goals in a game against the Swans announcing his name well and truly on the big stage in a breakout season where he won All Australian selection at full forward amassing 88 majors, perhaps controversially ahead of Scott Cummings. The Bombers thrashed Sydney in week 1 of the finals and were expected to waltz past the Blues and win the Grand Final against the Kangaroos who they had no trouble of dispatching twice in the season already. The Blue Baggers had other ideas however, led by Kouta fyda midis as Rex Hunt would say { Andrew Koutoufides } who put on an absolute clinic as the massive underdog Carlton prevailed by 1 solitary point. Murphy and Camporeale were prominent as well as Ratten, Matthew Allan had 25 hit outs as Carlton withstood the bombers fight back after being down 24 points at half time. Essendon kicked 7.7 in the 3rd qtr to take an 11 point lead going into the final change. It wasn't enough however as the match saving tackle by Fraser Brown in the dying moments earnt the blues an amazing victory stunning the football world. Brown had 20 possessions, 6th place Carlton were in the Grand final and the dons were left scratching their heads in bewilderment pondering what might have been. Mark Mercuri had a chance to win it moments before Fraser Browns match winning tackle on Dean Wallis as he was about to pup the ball forward. Go the Blues!
North, awesome team all year who finished 2nd on the home and away ladder just one game behind Essendon, and one game ahead of the Brisbane Lions who had an awesome season themselves after finishing wooden spooners the year before. The shin boners were owed a flag imo having been hard done by the year before after racking up an inaccurate 6.15 at half time of the grand final against the Adelaide Crows who went b2b. Shannon Grant kicked 4 goals winning the Norm Smith, Peter Bell also kicked four goals and the boys from Arden Street made amends for that nightmare game that haunted them 12 months prior. The Crows who were defending b2b champs didn't make the 8, Blight was gone and that was that. Shane Crawford won the brownlow, the state of origin game, the last one until the only since in 2008 was won by Victoria to the tune of 54 points where a young chap by the name of Brent Harvey won the medal for best player on the field who snagged a handy 5 goals.
North Melbourne had several greats that year in King, Martyn, Mckernan, Sholl, Archer, Stevens, Pike, Abraham who enjoyed goal scoring exploits and many more including the the great Captain Carey.
The Brisbane Lions deserve a mention and if memory serves correct had their injuries in that prelim final against the Roos. Jarred Molloy nailed some freakish majors and had a good season, Black, Akermanis, Lappin, Power, Ashcroft, Leppitsch, White, Lynch, Champion, Lambert, McRae, Scott, Voss, what an outstanding team.
Anyway, outstanding seasons
1999 for me was an absolute cracking season. Essendon vs Carlton kicked off proceedings on a thursday night, who would have thought at the time those two teams would meet again in arguably the most pivotal, memorable clash of the season one game shy of the big one. Geelong opened up like a house on fire winning their first 5 games racking up some big scores before getting done to bogey team Hawthorn by 2 points, who'd also have a memorable come from behind victory against the WCE at the WACA erasing a 33 point deficit. That scalp would hail in comparison to the 63 point mammoth come back against the Saints out at Waverley in between the above mentioned games, the biggest come back in history at that point in time. The Hawks would finish the season strong and play finals football the next two years after having 4 out on the sidelines, while the Cats would fade away and not make the 8. 1999 also was the last ever game at Waverley.
West Coast was another strong starting force who triumphed in their opening 6 games before losing to the Saints out at Waverley. The Eagles entered their round 10 clash against the unfancied Carlton top of the AFL ladder expected to take care of the 8th placed boys navy blues. 32 points up at Subiaco and the pot was going according to plan before Aaron Hamill bobbed up to kick 5 majors. WCE suffered just it's 2nd loss of the season, lost again the next week to the Kangas and not long there after the wheels seemed to fall off Port Adelaide style
where they limped into the finals in 5th position 16 points behind the Western Bulldogs in 4th. Fremantle claimed their first ever win against the Eagles in their 10th attempt in emphatic fashion, West Coast also got mauled to the tune of 100 points at the GABBA to surprise packet the Brisbane Lions who finished last the year before and more hammerings by the Bombers and the Saints also came into play. WCE met the Western Bulldogs on a Friday night at the MCG in the opening game of the finals. The Dogs had beat the WCE by 2 points just 2 weeks prior down at Optus. On a wet and windy night in a low scoring encounter WCE triumphed by 5 points led by revelation signing Scott Cummings who kicked 4 majors, 4 of 95 that coleman medal winning year after he left the Bombers the year before. Mick Malthouse went berserk in the coaches box breaking a bone in his hand, the first of many a time we'd see Mick lose his mind. Uncustomary for Mick at that stage of his coaching days. West Coasts season would end the next week where they had to play the Blues in Melbourne due to the MCG regulations of having one game there per week of the finals although Carlton didn't warrant that after finishing 6th on the ladder and copped a 13 goal flogging the week before at the GABBA to the Brisbane Lions, who finished 3rd after 22 games. Carlton demolished WCE by 9 goals setting up a mammoth showdown with arch rival Essendon in the Prelim final where the Dons went in as raging favourites.The Bombers. Where do I start with them. What a season. Where the hell did they come from? 8th place the year before, 1st place after the conclusion of the home and away season losing just 4 times. A couple of shootouts with the Kangas, one where Matthew Lloyd snagged 7 out of 24 goals but was outshone by the King, Wayne Carey who booted 10 in a losing side. Go check out his banana goal from the boundary. Freakish. Matty Lloyd booted 13 goals in a game against the Swans announcing his name well and truly on the big stage in a breakout season where he won All Australian selection at full forward amassing 88 majors, perhaps controversially ahead of Scott Cummings. The Bombers thrashed Sydney in week 1 of the finals and were expected to waltz past the Blues and win the Grand Final against the Kangaroos who they had no trouble of dispatching twice in the season already. The Blue Baggers had other ideas however, led by Kouta fyda midis as Rex Hunt would say { Andrew Koutoufides } who put on an absolute clinic as the massive underdog Carlton prevailed by 1 solitary point. Murphy and Camporeale were prominent as well as Ratten, Matthew Allan had 25 hit outs as Carlton withstood the bombers fight back after being down 24 points at half time. Essendon kicked 7.7 in the 3rd qtr to take an 11 point lead going into the final change. It wasn't enough however as the match saving tackle by Fraser Brown in the dying moments earnt the blues an amazing victory stunning the football world. Brown had 20 possessions, 6th place Carlton were in the Grand final and the dons were left scratching their heads in bewilderment pondering what might have been. Mark Mercuri had a chance to win it moments before Fraser Browns match winning tackle on Dean Wallis as he was about to pup the ball forward. Go the Blues!
North, awesome team all year who finished 2nd on the home and away ladder just one game behind Essendon, and one game ahead of the Brisbane Lions who had an awesome season themselves after finishing wooden spooners the year before. The shin boners were owed a flag imo having been hard done by the year before after racking up an inaccurate 6.15 at half time of the grand final against the Adelaide Crows who went b2b. Shannon Grant kicked 4 goals winning the Norm Smith, Peter Bell also kicked four goals and the boys from Arden Street made amends for that nightmare game that haunted them 12 months prior. The Crows who were defending b2b champs didn't make the 8, Blight was gone and that was that. Shane Crawford won the brownlow, the state of origin game, the last one until the only since in 2008 was won by Victoria to the tune of 54 points where a young chap by the name of Brent Harvey won the medal for best player on the field who snagged a handy 5 goals.
North Melbourne had several greats that year in King, Martyn, Mckernan, Sholl, Archer, Stevens, Pike, Abraham who enjoyed goal scoring exploits and many more including the the great Captain Carey.
The Brisbane Lions deserve a mention and if memory serves correct had their injuries in that prelim final against the Roos. Jarred Molloy nailed some freakish majors and had a good season, Black, Akermanis, Lappin, Power, Ashcroft, Leppitsch, White, Lynch, Champion, Lambert, McRae, Scott, Voss, what an outstanding team.
Anyway, outstanding seasons
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