2005 Grand Final - the one that got away

[Macpotata]

Just posted in the Dangerfield thread how personally if a bloke deserves to be suspended, then suspend him. Irrespective if he's a Brownlow fancy or got a Gf coming up. I recalled Barry Hall playing in the big one where he really should have got suspended the week before vs Saints in the prelim. Cost you a flag in my book, kicked that telling goal too from a soft free kick outside 50 when you guys were up 10 points I believe.

Furthermore, you had your two leading goal kickers that season not playing in the big one. Lynch, who was dropped due to form, and Phil MAtera who was injured. If any team is missing their two leading goal kickers they're going to suffer, let alone in a granny.

Worsfold opted to bring back Travis Gaspar, and Kasey Green? Both who had hardly featured that year. Not sure if it was Gaspars first game of the year. Both hardly got a kick, what the **** was Worsfold thinking?

Anyway, between Hall playing and having your two leading goal kickers out you were hard done by and definitely one that got away. Good on you for making ammense the next year as I knew you would.

Bit of WCE nostalgia here. Don't mind the old coasters. We had some ripping battles in the 90's. Safe to say you're my second team.

 

[kane249]

2005*

 

[Ok Boomer]

Hurts more than '15 still. Sydney as a team were obviously great with their unity and discipline. The second quarter of that game was the perfect demonstration of game plan execution by them. But we had so many injuries and garbage luck. Kerr was injured in the first 5 minutes. Jones x 2, Braun, Lynch, Matera all out. Forced to play Travis Gaspar, a very young Butler and Kasey Green who actually did very well. All 3 of them had hardly played AFL in the months leading up. Also Michael Gardiner on one leg Matera being left out was a massive fail. Even injured, he would have drawn a defender like Barry.

Sickening.

 

[ronpingwins]

Butler was an odd choice, they obviously rated him highly but he wasn't ready and seemed pointless to bring him in only to play 30% of game time. Might has well have carried a half fit Matera.

 

[Macpotata]

Yep just came back here to add I was wrong about Green. Stats say he got 13 pozzies, wasn't that non Influence I thought he was unlike Gaspar.

That first qtr ****ed you's too. 2.4, Gardy hitting the post.

Ripping Goals from Nicoski and Coxy though.

 

[Macpotata]

Hurts more than '15 still. Sydney as a team were obviously great with their unity and discipline. The second quarter of that game was the perfect demonstration of game plan execution by them. But we had so many injuries and garbage luck. Kerr was injured in the first 5 minutes. Jones x 2, Braun, Lynch, Matera all out. Forced to play Travis Gaspar, a very young Butler and Kasey Green who actually did very well. All 3 of them had hardly played AFL in the months leading up. Also Michael Gardiner on one leg Matera being left out was a massive fail. Even injured, he would have drawn a defender like Barry.

Sickening.

Even Lynch. Out form or not beats playing Gaspar who hardly played that year.

 

[Eagleboy68]

Yeah was one that got away.

Barry hall playing
Injuries
Poor selections by Worsfold
Poor game plan and no plan B by Worsfold

History.

 

[Brer Bear]

Out: Phil Matera
In: Mark LeCras
Wonder how that would have gone?
What pissed me off were how much the media were in love with Sydney at the time, there was hardly any backlash about the Hall situation, they were basically happy he was free to play. Imagine if it had been one of Kerr/Cousins/Judd?

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Don't even want to think about it tbh.

 

[Forward Press]

Out: Phil Matera
In: Mark LeCras
Wonder how that would have gone?
What pissed me off were how much the media were in love with Sydney at the time, there was hardly any backlash about the Hall situation, they were basically happy he was free to play. Imagine if it had been one of Kerr/Cousins/Judd?

Considering LeCras played 2 games that year, with his last game being Round 11 with a return of 1 kick, 1 mark, 1 tackle and 0.0 - nah.

 

[Monocle]

Picking Michael Gardner was a mistake he was not fit and very much under done.
Worsfold was loyal to a point of fault ... he picked his favourites and MG was one of them.
The Q Stick would have made a better contribution.

Brings back bad VERY bad memories as I wrote myself of big time that night.

 

[ep2018]

Banfield hits the post running into an open goal.

Staker marks in the 50 and then plays on right in front of a Swans player, tackled straight away.

Both could have put us 3 goals up and almost sealed the game... what could have been...

 

[Ok Boomer]

Butler was an odd choice, they obviously rated him highly but he wasn't ready and seemed pointless to bring him in only to play 30% of game time. Might has well have carried a half fit Matera.

My avatar is better looking than yours.

 

[kranky al]

Woosha and his stubborn refusal to play a spare man in defence

 

[langdon19]

Kerr's ankle

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

Meh, Cuz would have crashed and burned a year earlier and we wouldn't have won in '06.

 

[MIKE85]

Banfield hits the post running into an open goal.

Staker marks in the 50 and then plays on right in front of a Swans player, tackled straight away.

Both could have put us 3 goals up and almost sealed the game... what could have been...

This is probably the only memory I have of that game (I was outside hiding in the dying stages, as I can't handle close games so I didn't see that sickening Leo Barry you star bullshit) I think Darling was chanelling his inner Staker in the EF last year when he shat his pants and played on, only to be tackled.

I remember the love for the swans for the next few days after the GF, it was soul crushing. What a shit time to be alive (not really, it's only footy, but that's how it felt at the time)

 

[TOA.]

Cant believe nobody has mentioned Sampi being tackled to the ground during the Leo Barry marking contest.

 

[bombard]

I comfort myself with the thought that our not winning 2005 is probably what gave us 2006. Some of the lads (you know who they are) would have gone off the rails quicker and potentially harder. Such is life, people say/tattoo.

 

[The Dodger]

Another final that we can point to team selection and say ouch. That team with a clearly injured Gardiner, Gaspar & Staker. The only thing that could have been worse is if McDougall had been picked.

 

[ep2018]

I comfort myself with the thought that our not winning 2005 is probably what gave us 2006. Some of the lads (you know who they are) would have gone off the rails quicker and potentially harder. Such is life, people say/tattoo.

I reckon a few of our close wins in 2006 would have been close losses if we had won in 2005. The boys probably were drawing from the pain of a losing grand final to push themselves to win (that, and the meth I guess).

 

[avishka5]

something should be left in the past. My mates try to stir me up with barry mark but feel nothing watching that.

 

[byebyexenxen]

I comfort myself with the thought that our not winning 2005 is probably what gave us 2006. Some of the lads (you know who they are) would have gone off the rails quicker and potentially harder. Such is life, people say/tattoo.

The sequel is better than the original.

 

[kranky al]

I was with two mates in the pub - a mad eagles fan and a very bitter geelong fan who hates the eagles - when sydney won the geelong guy was crowing like it was his team that won - my other mate clean dropped him with a gut punch.

It was a thing of beauty that dulled the pain momentarily

 

[mick06]

Considering LeCras played 2 games that year, with his last game being Round 11 with a return of 1 kick, 1 mark, 1 tackle and 0.0 - nah.

Its worked to get him a game every week this year [emoji13]