Recent content by mianfei

Geelong would experience a reverse turnaround the following week in the first AFL match at the Gabba. They would be on 5.16 (46) at one point, but then blew the Bears away by going from 12.20 (92) to 21.20 (146) in almost even time. However, if we combine the last half of Round 3 and the first...

St. Kilda in 2004 did begin with a long winning streak and fell off after a shock loss to the Bulldogs when still undefeated, but it was certainly satisfying for the fans after the doldrums of 1999 to 2002. 1991 — after seventeen seasons with a combined record of 101–268–5 — was similarly so...

The interesting thing is that the Blues’ 1987 premiership team was something like two years younger on average than either their 1982 or 1995 flag teams. In fact, the 1987 Grand Final team had only three players common to that of 1982 — fewer than with their next Grand Final six seasons later...

I have long thought that Hawthorn’s 1988 team must rank as the best wet weather football side in history — although in dry conditions I could not rate them so highly — and that Carlton did not do badly to get within 21 points of such a great wet weather team in the second semi. All five teams...

From what I have watched, these two stand out: Round 19, 1987, Carlton v Sydney the Blues played the most marvellous man-on-man football to keep a Swans team that had kicked 97 goals in three games to just 3.5 (23) for three quarters. In the last quarter Sydney had (by my calculation) just 10...

In the 2018 preliminary, Melbourne did actually fire five shots in the first half, according to AFL Tables — unless the five behinds off the boot were not shots aimed at goal. Melbourne undoubtedly had many awful losses through the two decades from 1996 to 2015. So early as 1997, terrible...

Essendon actually kicked six goals against Geelong in the first round of 1897. I have not checked who kicked the first, but although there were six goalless scores in 1897 — as many as in the last 121 seasons combined — all eight teams in the first VFL round kicked at least two goals. 1936...

I finally got to look at the Football Record here and the Record says on page 6 of 16 that Hawthorn kicked 11-19 (85) rather than 11-29. What’s remarkable about that 10 goal performance in Round 5 is that in the Seniors later that afternoon no team kicked ten goals! The highest score that...

According to both Demon Wiki and my old 1986 The Complete Book of VFL Records, Hawthorn actually kicked 11-19 (85) in the last round Reserves game. The inaccurate kicking was replicated in the seniors, and compiler Stephen Rodgers commented on page 258: The Age, however, did give the quite...

St. Kilda in 1961 were previously the last team to achieve this feat: Round 8 v South Melbourne this was the match where Eric Guy famously steamrolled Bob Skilton the Swans finished with 5-16 (46) Round 10 v Footscray the Bulldogs finished with 4-13 (37) Round 16 v Richmond the Tigers...

There is only one other I surnamed player who played in a premiership side — John V. Incoll, who played in two premierships for Collingwood as far back as 1902 and 1903. There are four I surnamed players who played for a runner-up team or in a premiership side during the season: Dean Irving...

On remarkable case of score replication in the SANFL, which I may have noted earlier: Round 9, 1979 (June 2 at Football Park): South Adelaide 2.2 (14) 7.9 (51) 11.13 (79) 14.19 (103) Sturt 2.4 (16) 4.5 (29) 8.6 (54) 15.6 (96) Round 14, 1989 (July 14 at Adelaide Oval): Sturt 5.1 (31)...

Thanks! I was looking for details of this remarkable game! I sometimes joke that the two most notable games ever played at the Junction Oval were Five behinds from five shots is remarkable given that, when back at Glenelg, Churchett became renowned for his accurate kicking. I wonder if that...

There were quite a few other well-known footballers from South Australia and Western Australia who played a few games in the VFL during World War II when stationed in Melbourne. Jack Cockburn, who won a Magarey Medal and was a leading player in South Adelaide’s most successful era since 1900...