1990 Season - What happened?

[Gydafud]

This is a question for the old timers (or those well informed), but what happened with Geelongs 1990 season?

It's the off season so I was just trawling past results but they rarely give insights to other things happening with the club.

Bombing to 10th after such a promising past couple of years and narrowly missing a premiership. The rest of the 90s were relatively successful and the Cats were competitive. But 1990 looks like an awful year for performance. Was much of the list different to the years around it?

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Billy Brownless played at CHB and scored himself a few Brownlow votes.

 

[catempire]

Partridge Vdubs you pick one year of the cat Sttew

 

[Mac Cat]

I can't remember specifically what happened. They were a pretty flakey team. Could kick a bag but no real defence. '89 was a pretty special season after years of being hopeless. Psychologically they might of just come off a high. See they got hammered by Hawthorn by over a hundred in the first round. Ablett 'retired' for a period around then. Maybe in '91?

 

[year of the cat]

I can recall going to round one against the Hawks at VFL Park with high expectations of another great game after the '89 GF. We were smashed from the opening bounce. From there we never really recovered.

Bairstow had gone back home which left a big hole in our midfield. Such luminaries as Bret Bailey and Marty Christensen were left to cover.

I really can't remember too much more about that season. I think we were in a state of a bit of flux trying a number of different players over the season like Baldwin, Sterrett, Gurrie etc and never really settled.

 

[Turbocat]

I can recall going to round one against the Hawks at VFL Park with high expectations of another great game after the '89 GF. We were smashed from the opening bounce. From there we never really recovered.

Bairstow had gone back home which left a big hole in our midfield. Such luminaries as Bret Bailey and Marty Christensen were left to cover.

I really can't remember too much more about that season. I think we were in a state of a bit of flux trying a number of different players over the season like Baldwin, Sterrett, Gurrie etc and never really settled.

I really have a blank as well... injuries I thought. Both Geelong and Haw paid a on going cost for the 89 GF. Neither made the GF in 90.
I think 91 saw Ablett retire... and Brownless and Stoneham being our KPF worked well

 

[year of the cat]

I really have a blank as well... injuries I thought. Both Geelong and Haw paid a on going cost for the 89 GF. Neither made the GF in 90.
I think 91 saw Ablett retire... and Brownless and Stoneham being our KPF worked well

Ablett "retired" the following year in as you say in '91. Just looking it up he kicked 75 goals in 1990 so wasn't the reason for our demise that season.

I think as in '89 our top tier of Ablett, Stoneham, Couch, Hocking etc was first class but there was a massive drop off to our bottom 6-8. Probably even more so in '90. I dare say there was also a few mental scars after that GF as well.

 

[terry_bright]

Bourke did his knee, Bews did his knee, Bairstow returned home. Our midfield took a huge hit and a number of flakey players we had at the time just didn't stand up (B.Lindner, D.Cameron, S.Hamilton, S.Malakellis just to name a few). The retirement of Mark Bos who was our best defender didn't help either.

But the biggest problem was we got ahead of ourselves and though it would just happen after 1989.

 

[Turkey Tom]

Likewise, it is all a bit vague now. I think terry_bright has covered it though. Also besides the players, the coach may have got ahead of himself too.

 

[Turbocat]

Ablett "retired" the following year in as you say in '91. Just looking it up he kicked 75 goals in 1990 so wasn't the reason for our demise that season.

I think as in '89 our top tier of Ablett, Stoneham, Couch, Hocking etc was first class but there was a massive drop off to our bottom 6-8. Probably even more so in '90. I dare say there was also a few mental scars after that GF as well.

I really cant remember it well..it was just after I bought a house.. and for some its probably a shock... but back in the day..one did not see every game on TV.
You are probably correct .. about the second group.... but imo that whole era was flawed for the same issue. Our team was loaded front of centre... it didn't take much for us to drop off , and just let other teams score.
Brownless was and is a fantastic Geelong man but I think he may have been better traded out to get a better backline. Ben Graham at his best would have been a very good addition to those early 90's sides. Who did we have playing FB Darcy and ORielly?
Our mids were rarely accountable and we were considered down hill skiers.Drum was good but was always injured.
I loved Hinkley as a player across HB..I related to the way he played maybe at 1% of his talent , mansfield ..all our talented backmen were not tall.

 

[Sttew]

Partridge Vdubs you pick one year of the cat Sttew

I always put it down to GF blues (as opposed to premiership blues). It was as though getting to a GF in 1989 was good enough.

As I recall in R1 1990 we got absolutely smashed by the Hawks at Waverley. I went to the game with high expectations, and came away demoralised. While we had some good wins during the season, we also had plenty of big losses.

 

[Seeds]

This is a question for the old timers (or those well informed), but what happened with Geelongs 1990 season?

It's the off season so I was just trawling past results but they rarely give insights to other things happening with the club.

Bombing to 10th after such a promising past couple of years and narrowly missing a premiership. The rest of the 90s were relatively successful and the Cats were competitive. But 1990 looks like an awful year for performance. Was much of the list different to the years around it?

There are plenty of people who saw the 1990 season who arent old timers.

 

[Seeds]

I really cant remember it well..it was just after I bought a house.. and for some its probably a shock... but back in the day..one did not see every game on TV.
You are probably correct .. about the second group.... but imo that whole era was flawed for the same issue. Our team was loaded front of centre... it didn't take much for us to drop off , and just let other teams score.
Brownless was and is a fantastic Geelong man but I think he may have been better traded out to get a better backline. Ben Graham at his best would have been a very good addition to those early 90's sides. Who did we have playing FB Darcy and ORielly?
Our mids were rarely accountable and we were considered down hill skiers.Drum was good but was always injured.
I loved Hinkley as a player across HB..I related to the way he played maybe at 1% of his talent , mansfield ..all our talented backmen were not tall.

Orielly was an absolute gun full back at geelong. Close to the best in the comp. we only had him for two years though and our defence around him wasnt great.

 

[Landgraft]

There are plenty of people who saw the 1990 season who arent old timers.

Time travelers?

 

[Seeds]

Bourke did his knee, Bews did his knee, Bairstow returned home. Our midfield took a huge hit and a number of flakey players we had at the time just didn't stand up (B.Lindner, D.Cameron, S.Hamilton, S.Malakellis just to name a few). The retirement of Mark Bos who was our best defender didn't help either.

But the biggest problem was we got ahead of ourselves and though it would just happen after 1989.

Exactly. There is no mystery here. We lost our captain, vice captain, deputy vice captain and best defender. Its not that hard to figure out. Garry hocking was still a kid as well.

 

[Sttew]

Orielly was an absolute gun full back at geelong. Close to the best in the comp. we only had him for two years though and our defence around him wasnt great.

That was THE weakness of Blight's Cats - an unbelievable attack and a pedestrian defence. His mantra was "as long as we outscore the opposition". Was never going to win a premiership with that, although got within 7 points of winning in '89

 

[Seeds]

Time travelers?

So if early to mid thirties are old timers then what exactly are the posters on here who saw our 1963 flag win?

 

[Landgraft]

So if early to mid thirties are old timers then what exactly are the posters on here who saw our 1963 flag win?

Respected members of the community.

 

[Seeds]

That was THE weakness of Blight's Cats - an unbelievable attack and a pedestrian defence. His mantra was "as long as we outscore the opposition". Was never going to win a premiership with that, although got within 7 points of winning in '89

True although blight did try to change it in 1993 and went defensive and it probably cost us the flag. Changed back to be an attacking side one game too late.

 

[Turbocat]

Orielly was an absolute gun full back at geelong. Close to the best in the comp. we only had him for two years though and our defence around him wasnt great.

Not the way I remember him ..but ill bow to your knowledge.

 

[Gydafud]

There are plenty of people who saw the 1990 season who arent old timers.

Haha sorry. I meant old timers in the BigFooty sense. No disrespect meant

 

[krisholio14]

Aside from the previously mentioned loss of players, the main ones all starting with B (Bairstow, Bos, Bews, Bourke), I'd say there was a bit of 2006 about it. The amount of 2nd half last Q fade outs that year was ridiculous. We just couldn't run out games of footy. Which suggests to me quite a few blokes thought it was all going to happen as a matter of course, and spent more time in the pub than on the training track in the pre season.

The first game of the year was the GF rematch. At half time there was a couple of goals in it. They kicked 21 goals in the second half and the margin ended up 115 points. That certainly shook whatever confidence we had quite a bit. (and remains the most depressing afternoon I've spent at a H&A game). Then a similar situation happened the next week against Melbourne, in front at 3 QT before getting blown away in the last, and we just never got going after that. We threw away at least 7 or 8 games during the course of that year that we were in control of. The belting we copped from the Bears at Cararra late in the season was an unwanted exclamation mark.

 

[Vdubs]

My memories are a bit vague, mostly due to being the father of 2 little girls, one born in 88, the other in MAY 90. not a lot of sleep.
I clearly recall losing to Tigers at Geelong, a rarity, the day BEWS did his ACL in the dying minutes of the lastQ when we were are a chance.
That ended our season losing the captain even though it was only rd 7 or 8. I was there, nearly in tears. Something like 8 goals 30 behinds to 10 goals something.
We got smashed by Hawks rd 1, and then again later on.
Even lost to Fitzroy, iirc.
Maybe a let down season to making the 89 GF.

 

[Nankervis brothers]

Bourke did his knee, Bews did his knee, Bairstow returned home. Our midfield took a huge hit and a number of flakey players we had at the time just didn't stand up (B.Lindner, D.Cameron, S.Hamilton, S.Malakellis just to name a few). The retirement of Mark Bos who was our best defender didn't help either.

But the biggest problem was we got ahead of ourselves and though it would just happen after 1989.

post is 100% correct.

While back on the farm, Bairstow was racking up 50-70 possession games in a bush league. He was in his prime.

 

[Deep]

1990... didn't happen because I wasn't around then