1991 gf

[moistie]

I remember thinking at the time that we were a trifle unlucky in coming up against what would have to be one of the most seasoned GF performers in history in our first one.

Also, wasn't that the one where Dermie earned a little extra coin by stuffing bread in the cup during the lap of honour for the benefit of a sponsor?

Yeah, Dermie filled the cup with Tip Top bread.

 

[Koki Freelander]

Don't think you could say Coll'wood and Essendon were clearly the two best in '90. Melbourne beat Essendon twice during the year including at Windy Hill and also beat Hawthorn twice in successive weeks R22 and the EF. We also beat WCE twice including by 6 goals at Subi however they knocked us out of the finals. We were very up and down though as we got smashed by the Pies and North during the season with North reaching the double century. We did have a good record against the Pies in finals though knocking them out in both '88 & '89.

I think '90 would be one of the most even years I can remember as there were several teams all around the mark. From memory we finished fourth or fifth but there was only a game separating the finals teams.

I never really thought much about the '91 GF until I watched a tape a few years ago. I had avoided it due to the final margin thinking it must have been a blowout but I was surprised to see what a good game it actually was for 3 quarters. I remember being surprised as a kid as I thought the Hawthorn era was over after '90 and then they came back and won the flag the following year. Unbelievable.

Fair point - indeed, Hawthorn and Essendon both beat Collingwood twice druing the regular season as well I am pretty sure.

But, the Bomber and the Pies finished 1 - 2; and both had pretty dominant finals series. I felt at the time they were the best two.

But as you say - very even season. WC had Collingwood's measure in the drawn Qualifying final until last quarter and Melbourne and Hawks were in the mix.

One of my earliest memories is 1988, ABC had the footy coverage and after 8 round Melbourne and Collingwood were 1 -2: Melbourne I think were 8-0 and Collingwood 7-1.

 

[FootyJunkie]

Classic example of an inferior Vic side winning because of the very biased league it was then.

The only reason the AFL allowed that QF at Subi was because the AFL were still dead against having a night final. Staging a final away from Waverley allowed them to avoid having a final at night. Same thing happened in 1992.

In 1993, with 3 Melbourne finals, the league had no choice.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

I think you'll also find no Hawthorn player made the All Australian team that year.

Yet Paul Hudson who was nominated for the Rising Star (and ridiculously didn't win it) kicked 62 goals from a forward flank and averaged 21 touches a game.

Makes Hannebury's effort look pathetic.

 

[Mr Ripper]

Yet Paul Hudson who was nominated for the Rising Star (and ridiculously didn't win it) kicked 62 goals from a forward flank and averaged 21 touches a game.

Makes Hannebury's effort look pathetic.

But the Rising Star didn't start until 1993.

 

[Skerret]

Not what I said at all... it was unmemorable because of a number of factors:

• the halftime entertainment was so poor (this is the major reason for the game not getting that much attention)
• GF at Waverley
• 1st interstate team to make GF

What I said though was, people got sick of seeing Hawthorn win all the time, hense the hatred for the team... that has nothing to do with the GF being memorable.

Whether a GF is memorable, good standard etc is a matter of opinion but IMO those GF that stand at the top in my lifetime are:

• 2010 GF 1 (drawn game alone makes it memorable and the pressure was outstanding from both sides)
• 1989 (Classic game)
• 2005
• 2006
• 2002 (our side wasn't even that good IMO)
• 1990 (obvious as I'm a pies supporter but also the brawl at 1/4 time)
• 1998 (back to back for Crows)

Can't remember enough about most of the 80's battles so haven't listed them for that reason. The above sit firmly above 1991 to me though for various reasons. Maybe I'm putting some up there that others wouldn't have due to bias, as I'm sure you would put Hawks GF's.

Short memory; 2009 GF was the best I've seen (and having watched it again in the cold light of day I can say far more objectively than I could have at the time that this was the case) in the last 10 years. It was a better game than the drawn GF until the last quarter and even then, the 09 last quarter was probably a marginally better quarter. Goddard's mark and the fact that it was a draw elevated it significantly. I have never seen a contest as physically demanding as the 09 GF, and the heroics; Rooke, Taylor, Reiwoldt, Chapman, Goddard, amazing stuff. 2010 draw was a great game no doubt and right up there, but regarding skills, courage, controversy, 'big' moments, drama... not quite as good.

Interesting note on the 89 GF - that game is highly regarded for 2 reasons; the final margin and Ablett. There was obviously some crazy courage from Dipper, Brereton, Steve Hocking et al, but only in the last quarter when Geelong really got going did it qualify as a classic. At 3qtr time it was still 6 goals the diff and really should have been game over.

 

[Groupie_]

"Lifes toughhhh!!!! So whattt!!!! Im aliveeeeee"

BOuNNNDD foRRRR GLoRYYYYYY!!!!

 

[Commando]

the only gf i remember not watching, went to the melbourne show instead that day, no lines, heaps of showbags, good times. thanks mum.

 

[natio]

Having recently re-watched the 91 GF - what I found fascinating about it was that it represented a real crossroads of football. IN WCE, you had the first interstate side in a GF and starting to show themselves as a real powerhouse of the competition (after winning the GF in 1992, despite having a slight GF hangover, WCE still only finished 1 1/2 games from the top side and only lost to Essondon in the Prelim - 1993 was a strange season indeed. WCE could very nearly won 3 in a row). They played a hard fast brand of football, and physically the WCE from 1991 to 1994 were in peak physical form, probably pioneering the brand of football and fitness that dominated 90's football.

In comparison to the quick, toned, tanned WCE, you had Hawthorn - the aging, pale, slow superpower many thought were well beyond it. The contrast in games styles, body types and ages was great to watch. Despite all the superficial advantages WCE seemed to possess over the aging hawks, like Morgan Freedman said in Million Dollar baby, mentally the hawks had one more fight in them.

The game was close right up to 3 QRT time. But like others have said, there are many reasons why other team supporters probably found this game forgettable.

But if people have a spare few hours, it is worth watching it again - it is a great lesson in the history of 80's v's 90's football.

 

[walhawk]

91 was an awesome GF. To remove my bias, I will just rank winning Hawk GFs in terms of their awesomeness.
89 toughest GF post war
08 unbelievable
71 Huddo's misses & come from behind
61 First Hawks flag
91 Underdogs - unexpected
76 Crimmos' Cup
78 Highscoring beating arch rival North
86 Beating Carlton deserves bonus points
83 Record margin
88 Another Record Margin. The Tip Top bread was probably the highlight.

Their all good.
But 91 was an above average GF. Watch the game - it was a cracker.

 

[Chewy]

Yet Paul Hudson who was nominated for the Rising Star (and ridiculously didn't win it) kicked 62 goals from a forward flank and averaged 21 touches a game.

Makes Hannebury's effort look pathetic.

But the Rising Star didn't start until 1993.

Someone should tell that Andy Demetriou they need to award retrospective Rising Star awards.

What a joke!

 

[jefffff34]

Someone should tell that Andy Demetriou they need to award retrospective Rising Star awards.

What a joke!

Ray Jencke 1987
Tony Hall 1988
Garry Hocking 1989
Leon Cameron 1990
Paul Hudson 1991
Shaun Rehn 1992

Thoughts?

 

[Chewy]

Ray Jencke 1987
Tony Hall 1988
Garry Hocking 1989
Leon Cameron 1990
Paul Hudson 1991
Shaun Rehn 1992

Thoughts?

Tony Hall was 24yo when crossed over to Hawthorn from SA
Great debut season however.


1987: Ray Jencke, Stewart Loewe, Chris Lewis, Adrian Gleeson, Gavin Brown, Nathan Burke, Craig Starcevich, Richard Dennis, Ian Aitken, Matt Armstrong, Ricky Jackson

1988: Mick McGuane, Graeme Wright, John Worsfold, Guy McKenna, Justin Pickering, Craig Lambert, Mick Martyn, Alistair Clarkson, Sean Denham, Brett Allison, Tony Free, Andy Lovell, Andy Collins, Darren Bewick, Karl Langdon

1989: Garry Hocking, Wayne Schwass, Michael Long, Simon Atkins, Matthew Knights, Peter Sumich, Don Pyke, Steven Febey, Brett Bowey, Stevan Jackson

1990: Chris Grant, Leon Cameron, Scott Russell, Wayne Carey, Dean Kemp, Brett Heady, Damien Monkhorst, Steven Lawrence, Craig Devonport, Stephen Tingay, Tony Francis,

1991: Paul Hudson, Glen Jakovich, Rod Jameson, Simon Tregenza, Brett Ratten, Marcus Ashcroft, Ashley McIntosh, Paul Williams, Gavin Wanganeen, Michael Mansfield, Chris Naish,

1992: Ben Hart, Shaun Rehn, Wayne Campbell, David Schwarz, Mitchell White, Darryl White, Peter Riccardi, Stu Maxfield

 

[Cousin of Daicos]

Agreed.

Doesn't help that it followed Collingwood's drought breaker. But it seems most people don't seem to care for Hawthorn flags.

2008 - Will always be remembered as a pinch that Geelong should have won

1991 - Batmobile is all people really remember

1989 - Will always be remembered as a close game Gary Ablett kicked 9 goals in and almost won off his own boot.

 

[Fastback]

Agreed.

Doesn't help that it followed Collingwood's drought breaker. But it seems most people don't seem to care for Hawthorn flags.

2008 - Will always be remembered as a pinch that Geelong should have won

1991 - Batmobile is all people really remember

1989 - Will always be remembered as a close game Gary Ablett kicked 9 goals in and almost won off his own boot.

I think you'll find most don't think too much of opposing teams premierships.

2008 will be remembered for Hawthorn's ability to choke the Cats and run away with it.

1991 will be remembered for the heavy weight champs one last knockout punch.

1989 will be remembered as the best Grand Final ever.

2010 will be remembered as the unlucky bounce.

 

[Prestigerrycomo]

1991 didn't West Coast while in first place lose to Fitzroy in last? Something that wasn't repeated until 2005 when Collingwood also did it to them?

 

[Mr Ripper]

Yeah, in the last round, although that win elevated Fitzroy off the bottom.

 

[FisherHawk]

- A Hawthorn flag that just seems so out of place to have been won in the 90s, almost feel like they just pinched it

Quote of the year.

 

[Crow-mo]

I was there. Eagles were red hot favorites, only lost 3 games in H&A that year.

Though the hawks won 10 out of 11 in the lead up to the GF.

Was a clear case of a veteran unit knowing exactly how to win the flag.

the eagles weren't hot favourites, after they lost the qualifying final.

waverley was round, you needed a CHF they didn't have one. teh ground was made for Paul Dear.