Best season of footy ever?

[PowerfulPies2023]

Besides your team winning the flag that Is. I enjoyed 1999. Bombers and Roos were supreme. The lions were a good side on the verge of greatness. The Eagles started the season like a house on fire and Carlton surprised all albeit with a shit finals system. We saw the Emergence of Lloyd and Scott Cummings surprised all by kicking 95 goals for the year winning the Coleman. The Crows missed the 8 after going b2b and the Dogs played good footy also. Shane Crawford won the Brownlow and Hawthorn would also start to play some good footy and finished the year well. Last ever game at Waverley they smashed Sydney with Thomson booting 6 and Croad 4. I had that game on VHS as well as the prelims and the Blues produced one of the biggest upsets In AFL history knocking off the Bombers by a point in a classic prelim. North made amends for 98 and the Bombers obviously made amends in 2000. Great times in the footy world. Mick Malthouse would leave the eagles to coach Collingwood after ten seasons and broke a bone in his hand in what could have been his final game in charge in a tense game vs the bulldogs. Eagles won the final by 5 points malthouse was slamming his hand on the desk. Complete form reversal by the eagles in that one. Lockett got his milestone goal vs Collingwood at the SCG in his final season although he came back 3 years later to no avail. Modra kicked 10 for the Dockers at the G vs the demons on a Friday night and later that season he would kick 6 in their first ever win against the Eagles in derby number 10. The Roos were involved in many classic games including blowing a 5 goal 3qtr time lead vs Geelong in round 1, 2 ahootouts vs the Dons one where Carey kicked 10 and Lloyd 7 and also blew a 7 goal lead to sydbey at the scg. The roos played a few home games there and one was against the Cats in the return game and Carey kicked 9. Port played in their first ever finals campaign and we saw the last of state of origin footy for a while with famous scenes as Ted Whitten did a lap around the oval on the verge of death.

Great, great season. Many classic encounters and big scores kicked. Geelong defeatedbthe Bulldogs 24 goals to 20 where a young Nathan Brown

22

Nathan Brown

Age

36

Ht

196cm

Wt

99kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

8.8

2star

K

3.9

2star

HB

4.9

4star

M

2.7

3star

T

1.8

4star

No current season stats available

D

6.4

2star

K

3.2

2star

HB

3.2

3star

M

1.8

2star

T

2.8

5star

emerged with 7 goals. Dogs came back from 40 down later in the year at 3qtr time vs Adelaide. Lost to Carlton by 2 points I believe in another shootout where Brett Backwell played some good footy. A young up and comer.

 

[Dan26]

Not saying this because we won the premiership, but without doubt 1993. And I think the 20 game season had a lot to do with it. Less games equal more quality, and couple this with the emergence of North Melbourne, and Wayne Carey, it was simply a classic season. Check out this ladder. Of the 15 teams, 12 of them won half their games and only 3.5 wins separated 1st from 12. The minor premier won only 13 games.

Essendon themselves had 3 all time classics in that season.

• the 132-132 draw where Kernahan kicked out of bounds after the siren
• the 156-132win over Geelong where Ablett kicked 14 and Salmon 10
• the narrow win over West Coast where Sheedy waved his jacket

There were also at least 5 classics featuring North Melbourne. (I remember a game at Football Park versus the Crows that was an all-timer)

There was a classic a Princes Park between Carlton and Hawthorn the week after Kernahan blew it against the Dons. He kicked the winner versus Hawthorn.

The footy was amazing that year, and the fact the ladder was so close was a 1 in 100 year event.

1993 wins this

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Not saying this because we won the premiership, but without doubt 1993. And I think the 20 game season had a lot to do with it. Less games equal more quality, and couple this with the emergence of North Melbourne, and Wayne Carey, it was simply a classic season. Check out this ladder. Of the 15 teams, 12 of them won half their games and only 3.5 wins separated 1st from 12. The minor premier won only 13 games.

Essendon themselves had 3 all time classics in that season.

• the 132-132 draw where Kernahan kicked out of bounds after the siren
• the 156-132win over Geelong where Ablett kicked 14 and Salmon 10
• the narrow win over West Coast where Sheedy waved his jacket

There were also at least 5 classics featuring North Melbourne. (I remember a game at Football Park versus the Crows that was an all-timer)

There was a classic a Princes Park between Carlton and Hawthorn the week after Kernahan blew it against the Dons. He kicked the winner versus Hawthorn.

The footy was amazing that year, and the fact the ladder was so close was a 1 in 100 year event.

1993 wins this




View attachment 2459944

You had cracking games vs Fitzroy, and the finals vs blues and crows also.

 

[Dan26]

You had cracking games vs Fitzroy, and the finals vs blues and crows also.

Yep, the Qualifying Final versus the Blues was a classic. Prelim also versus Adelaide.

The game you mention against Fitzroy was on a Friday night and is forgotten about amongst the jumble of classic games that year, but yes that was a magnificent game too. I was in a corporate box that night.

Modra also emerged that season and kicked 129 goals including mark of the week every week, seemingly.

 

[shaqsuns]

1997 from memory was good

 

[Dan26]

You got me reminiscing about that game versus Fitzroy now. I think because Fitzroy was involved it wasn't historically seen as being as memorable, but it was as good any game that season. In Prime Time on a Friday night too.

Interestingly, it was the only Home and away game Fitzroy ever played at the MCG in front over 50,000 people.

 

[the_big_sav]

Not saying this because we won the premiership, but without doubt 1993. And I think the 20 game season had a lot to do with it. Less games equal more quality, and couple this with the emergence of North Melbourne, and Wayne Carey, it was simply a classic season. Check out this ladder. Of the 15 teams, 12 of them won half their games and only 3.5 wins separated 1st from 12. The minor premier won only 13 games.

Essendon themselves had 3 all time classics in that season.

• the 132-132 draw where Kernahan kicked out of bounds after the siren
• the 156-132win over Geelong where Ablett kicked 14 and Salmon 10
• the narrow win over West Coast where Sheedy waved his jacket

There were also at least 5 classics featuring North Melbourne. (I remember a game at Football Park versus the Crows that was an all-timer)

There was a classic a Princes Park between Carlton and Hawthorn the week after Kernahan blew it against the Dons. He kicked the winner versus Hawthorn.

The footy was amazing that year, and the fact the ladder was so close was a 1 in 100 year event.

1993 wins this




View attachment 2459944

Theres a really good podcast done by Shannon Gill and a couple of others about this season. That was the season that was or something like that. It was on Spotify but I can't seem to find it. Great interviews with coaches and players

 

[Shack18]

1993 easily, rise of Carey and North, baby bombers September blitz. Very exciting footy played that year, loved it

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Geelong vs West Coast grand final rematch was a beauty. Geelong led by 38 points in the 3rd but got overran. Eagles kicked the exact same score as the grand final and won by 8 points.

16.17 to 15.15

Ricciardi outplayed Peter Matera

Peter Matera

Age

56

Ht

183cm

Wt

89kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

18.8

5star

K

14.0

5star

HB

4.9

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

2.4

4star

G

0.9

4star

No current season stats available

D

12.2

3star

K

9.0

4star

HB

3.2

3star

M

3.2

4star

T

0.6

3star

G

0.6

3star

that day Matera got suspended for elbowing him. Eagles lost at home to Fitzroy the next week sumich also missed they kickedn 7.16 to 11.10. Brisbane bears also started to play better footy too that's when a young Voss and Leppitcsh emerged and Buckley played his first year of footy.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Eagles had a great game vs North on a Friday night which they lost by a goal. Archer kicked 5 I'm the first half. Near the end Michael Brennan seemed to have touched what was given a goal. The Eagles had a few classics that year. One where they lost to Carlton by a point at Subi with Mainwairing hitting the post with the last kick of the game. Another where they let a 3 goal last quarter lead slip to Melbourne with Allen jackovich famously giving his brother a kiss when he kicked the match sealing goal. His 6th of the game.

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

1993
Round 1

Eagles 17.21 defeated
Bombers 17.8

Sumich kicked 7.9
Bewick 8

Adelaide Crows kicked 10 final qtr goals to beat Richmond

28.10
12.12

Modra kicked 10 and kicked 13 in the return game at football Park where they won by 139 points.

Hawks played a classic vs north that season too on a Friday night. Classic games every where. We beat the Cats at Vic Park I'm round 2 17.10 to 15.12 or so. As mentioned 1st placed bombers topped the ladder with 13.5 wins and 12th placed had 10. It was a very tight season.

 

[StillAtLarge]

Easily 1993. Check out the rising star nominees, it will blow your mind.
Ditto the state of origin teams. Most importantly the h&a season was a belter

 

[PowerfulPies2023]

Adelaide Crows emerged that year. They had many big scalps.

 

[Clark G]

1997 from memory was good

It was a very even season, similar to 1993.

 

[Rotayjay]

1993 is a good choice because it was an even comp, it was in the professional era, but without all the bullshit trappings of the 2020s like moving LEDs around the boundary, shit commentators and rolling mauls. It was still old-fashioned footy.

 

[RUNVS]

Going to have to go 2021 between Verstappen and Hamilton. That final race was insane.

 

[Ed_Gein]

Not saying this because we won the premiership, but without doubt 1993. And I think the 20 game season had a lot to do with it. Less games equal more quality, and couple this with the emergence of North Melbourne, and Wayne Carey, it was simply a classic season. Check out this ladder. Of the 15 teams, 12 of them won half their games and only 3.5 wins separated 1st from 12. The minor premier won only 13 games.

Essendon themselves had 3 all time classics in that season.

• the 132-132 draw where Kernahan kicked out of bounds after the siren
• the 156-132win over Geelong where Ablett kicked 14 and Salmon 10
• the narrow win over West Coast where Sheedy waved his jacket

There were also at least 5 classics featuring North Melbourne. (I remember a game at Football Park versus the Crows that was an all-timer)

There was a classic a Princes Park between Carlton and Hawthorn the week after Kernahan blew it against the Dons. He kicked the winner versus Hawthorn.

The footy was amazing that year, and the fact the ladder was so close was a 1 in 100 year event.

1993 wins this




View attachment 2459944

As a Swans supporter, I disagree with you.

 

[WesternSydneyHawk]

Not a season, but a decade: The '90s.

You had the interstate clubs, yet at the same time you still had at least some of the suburban grounds, including Waverley.

State footy and the VFA could still draw a crowd (albeit a dwindling one), snd Origin was still a thing.

The game wasn't quite as commercialised as it would become.

You had the superstar full forwards. Carey, Lockett, Dunstall, Modra.

With the Superleague fiasco, Sydney was finally getting on board with the Swans.

And in my book at least, the game itself was at its peak.

 

[iameviljez]

Not saying this because we won the premiership, but without doubt 1993. And I think the 20 game season had a lot to do with it. Less games equal more quality, and couple this with the emergence of North Melbourne, and Wayne Carey, it was simply a classic season

There's only one reason why I would not nominate 1993: the Grand Final was a complete snooze.

 

[iameviljez]

Not a season, but a decade: The '90s.

You had the interstate clubs, yet at the same time you still had at least some of the suburban grounds, including Waverley.

State footy and the VFA could still draw a crowd (albeit a dwindling one), snd Origin was still a thing.

The game wasn't quite as commercialised as it would become.

You had the superstar full forwards. Carey, Lockett, Dunstall, Modra.

With the Superleague fiasco, Sydney was finally getting on board with the Swans.

And in my book at least, the game itself was at its peak.

I think the second half of the 1990s was really the peak of it on a week-by-week basis, because equalisation had finally started to kick in.

In the first half of the nineties, although StKilda and the Dogs had a bit of a renaissance, sides like Sydney, Brisbane, Fitzroy etc just could not really match it with the big boys. Even Footscray and the Saints were still really operating with one hand tied behind their backs.

In the second half, draft and salary cap started to really be felt, Fitzroy died, and we got a lot closer to a genuine meritocracy.

The only thing that really held back the 1990s is that there wasn't one really good Grand Final in there - 1997 probably comes closest. But there was nothing akin to the absolute classic GFs that we were treated to from 2005 till 2012 (2007 and 2010 replay excepted).

 

[CURVE]

Not saying this because we won the premiership, but without doubt 1993. And I think the 20 game season had a lot to do with it. Less games equal more quality, and couple this with the emergence of North Melbourne, and Wayne Carey, it was simply a classic season. Check out this ladder. Of the 15 teams, 12 of them won half their games and only 3.5 wins separated 1st from 12. The minor premier won only 13 games.

Essendon themselves had 3 all time classics in that season.

• the 132-132 draw where Kernahan kicked out of bounds after the siren
• the 156-132win over Geelong where Ablett kicked 14 and Salmon 10
• the narrow win over West Coast where Sheedy waved his jacket

There were also at least 5 classics featuring North Melbourne. (I remember a game at Football Park versus the Crows that was an all-timer)

There was a classic a Princes Park between Carlton and Hawthorn the week after Kernahan blew it against the Dons. He kicked the winner versus Hawthorn.

The footy was amazing that year, and the fact the ladder was so close was a 1 in 100 year event.

1993 wins this




View attachment 2459944

I agree, it's 1993 for me as well, and not only because North Melbourne finally lived up to their potential, but because the depth of quality teams that season, it's hard to believe that teams like Geelong, Melbourne and even Fitzroy missed the finals.

Personally, I think the round 15 game between North and Essendon is the best game I footy I've ever seen, it was a fast, exciting game and the atmosphere was electric, it may have been one of the games that cemented Friday Night football as a viable timeslot for the AFL. And the fourth quarter from Carey was unbelievable, he tore the baby bombers to shreds, I think it's one of the greatest individual performances ever, you can actually hear the commentators, McAvaney, Quinlan and McKenna lose their minds at some of the things he pulled off that night.

 

[iameviljez]

Personally, I think the round 15 game between North and Essendon is the best game I footy I've ever seen, it was a fast, exciting game and the atmosphere was electric, it may have been one of the games that cemented Friday Night football as a viable timeslot for the AFL

The QF wasn't bad either.

It's a shame the rest of the finals (bar the PF) were a bit snooze-y.

 

[dean33]

Not a season, but a decade: The '90s.

You had the interstate clubs, yet at the same time you still had at least some of the suburban grounds, including Waverley.

State footy and the VFA could still draw a crowd (albeit a dwindling one), snd Origin was still a thing.

The game wasn't quite as commercialised as it would become.

You had the superstar full forwards. Carey, Lockett, Dunstall, Modra.

With the Superleague fiasco, Sydney was finally getting on board with the Swans.

And in my book at least, the game itself was at its peak.

No music after goals as well!

 

[revo333]

1993

Conveniently they had a thing called football record video at the time which had all the season highlights in details.

So many great games, marks and goals.

 

[Rod Stroker]

Not a season, but a decade: The '90s.

You had the interstate clubs, yet at the same time you still had at least some of the suburban grounds, including Waverley.

State footy and the VFA could still draw a crowd (albeit a dwindling one), snd Origin was still a thing.

The game wasn't quite as commercialised as it would become.

You had the superstar full forwards. Carey, Lockett, Dunstall, Modra.

With the Superleague fiasco, Sydney was finally getting on board with the Swans.

And in my book at least, the game itself was at its peak.

couldn't agree more. Although I'd add Ablett. He did a lot of freakish shit in the 90s.