Up the Coasters 30 years since the 1992 flag

[BigVic]

Season 2022 will be a historic milestone for the Eagles. 30 years since the premiership cup left Victoria for the first time. What were your memories of that day?

 

[Dazzler9]

Season 2022 will be a historic milestone for the Eagles. 30 years since the premiership cup left Victoria for the first time. What were your memories of that day?

Being nervous as buggery, heart sinking as we fell 4 goals behind, then slowly elated from the time Matera gave us the lead with a running bomb from the wing. The West had a blue & gold wrap around the next day, which I still have. Magic day.

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

What were your memories of that day?

Peter Matera

 

[BigVic]

I wasn’t born yet but was around for 1994, 2006 and 2018. All flags are special

 

[Ambrose Burnside]

 

[MaxHunt]

Ablett elbowing Pyke to head and every one playing on like it was nothing. Pyke came back on as well. Game sure was more brutal back then.

Edit : Pyke not Pike

 

[Cm Perfect]

They showed a cutaway of the Narrows Bridge at half-time and it was empty - the whole of Perth was watching it.

Matera was incredible, our teenaged key backs kept Geelong's vaunted forward line under control, my Dad got the trumpet out and played it in the street after the game. Yeah not a bad day all up...

 

[Kwality]

Ablett elbowing Pike to head and every one playing on like it was nothing. Pike came back on as well. Game sure was more brutal back then.

Pyke
&

Fantastic Five: Peter Matera's best moments

The lung-bursting wingman utilised his great pace and skill to dominate the 1992 Grand Final and kick many long bombs and snaps for the Eagles in 253 games

www.afl.com.au

 

[The Dodger]

Yah that Ablett hit on Pyke would see Ablett gone for half a season of footy now probably and not sure how long Pyke would have been in concussion protocols after it.
Wilson like a cork in ocean
Matera set sailing for home
Tony Evans bobbing up kicking 4 goals and being a finals performer.

I was 12. I remember being grumpy at halftime (we were down by 12 points ) thinking i will have to watch another GF loss same as 1991 to the absolute elation when Matera put us in front. And then after that it was at the school oval with mates kicking a footy all afternoon into the evening. Great day Great memories.

 

[FKASC]

I was only 6 but remember all my family being together and it was a happy vibe. I also remember the yellow wrap around on the West the next day and remember thinking that was so surreal as a kid. Matera - how many epic goals can one person kick in a GF…

 

[DanWCE]

I was 7 and don't remember it. But 94 was on my birthday and you better believe I remember that one. Got my first Eagles guernsey and wore it straight to school.

Repeated that in 2018 wearing my guernsey to work and waiting for my Freo supporting boss and colleagues to walk by my office

 

[Monocle]

Loved every minute of that Day.... the anticipation..... the nerves........ finally the win.... oh and the three day party that ensued.




Was one of the best days of my life.

 

[TheGhostOfJohnBelushi]

Was my first year of high school and remember a kid who supported Geelong giving me crap all week. Watched with my parents but my mum always yelled at the TV, so my dad sent her outside given the start of the game making her irate. I was a big stats nerd and I had already talked about that era's Hawthorn games where we had like 3 games in a row where the eventual loser had a 4 goal start, starting with the 91 GF going through the 92 H&A game at Waverley and then the elimination final at home. So I was very much on the "we don't want to have the better start out of the two teams" bandwagon.

Was strangely not panicked at all as we watched the game. Second quarter felt like we made some inroads. In fact, most of the first half we had opportunities but didn't take them while Geelong took theirs. Felt we were good to make a run at it. My dad said the third quarter is the premiership quarter, so we'd know everything by 3/4 time.

Was amazing to see it come to fruition. My mum still recalls the absolute roar she heard from the neighbourhood when Matera kicked the goal to put us in front. She knew what it meant when she heard it.

It was from that game onward where she would never watch a live game on TV again. She developed a phobia about it. We made sure to call her back in when the game was in the last few minutes. She saw the last couple of goals we kicked and was in tears. She'd grown up in Melbourne as a Saints fan. She was at the 1965 grand final that they lost and worked as a nurse the following year so didn't see their 1966 flag. Having married my dad who was from WA, she made her family life over here and when the Eagles started up she was fully West Australian. Her and her friend became Eagles members and went to every home game through to her friend passing in 2008. But she's never watched the team play a grand final live, always continuing her tradition of not watching on TV. Needless to say, she got some very teary phone calls from me after the final sirens of both 2006 and 2018 (and the ones where she didn't get a call, she'd know not to watch).

Was a strange season as a young supporter. I was actually not thinking they'd win the flag. They had a horrible start to that season and then went on runs of 4 wins/1 loss through the season's end. That included the finals (loss in the second last round of the year, win final H&A game and then 3 finals). Destiny fell our way with the finals setup of the time, finishing 4th, getting a home elimination final vs 5th and the winner getting a double chance second semi berth if 6th beat 3rd (which they did, fittingly my mum's old Saints beating Collingwood). Still, I was just happy with the team finishing as high as they could. After week 1 of the finals, we'd be at least 3rd! Little did I know this team wasn't gonna be satisfied with anything other than 1st.

Great experience. Momentous achievement. It's only ever been pipped by 2018 as my favourite flag, but it's still as special as it always was. Glad to have lived through it, envious of those who could be there live (one day I maybe will, but I'm pretty content... now turning my attention to my own kids' achievements moreso), and grateful to have the memories.

Also had to wait until after the school holidays to say hi to the kid at school.

 

[squashface]

I didn't exist for another 5 years but sounds like it was fun

 

[flamingEMBERS]

I didn't exist for another 5 years but sounds like it was fun

Have you watched it?

I was only 2 (my parents took me to the game), but I watched it on VHS pretty religiously Sunday mornings in the mid-late 90s

 

[Truckosaurus]

I remember that the Vics have never gotten over it.

 

[AsterixTheGaul]

I was living in Melbourne and just got my full AFL membership so sitting in the newly minted Great Southern Stand on GF day. Wearing my $200 Ralph Lauren Eagles jumpers I’d just purchased from a Collins St boutique, the magic of the Friday GF parade was different to 1991 since it was back at the G and Waverley was a distant memory.

Cats had a great team and brought early heat. What stood out for me was the 3rd quarter when Brett Heady started the momentum change. Watching Matera and his magic live at the game was scintillating. The last quarter - I just knew we had it won and could not see anything but victory.

Now the benefit of living in Melbourne and supporting an interstate team means that there are loads of opposition supporters to enjoy “interacting” with. Up until the Kelly trade, I had held a soft spot for Geelong fans. Not anymore. Actually the Geelong fans that day were really nice and ar$hole free. Never seen so many football picnic hampers with the homemade pickles and jams!! I think I polished off a good number of fourntwenty pies and no stadium can pour beer as fast and as well as the G.

It was during this period in the early 90’s when I developed a really loud clap which assisted me in getting to know plenty of Richmond, Collingwood and Blue Bagger fans. Being outnumbered felt more like a privilege than a hinderance. I got feedback from my partner that day to keep it quieter but that was appropriately ignored - probably one of the many reasons we are no longer together.

Anyway, I stayed at the G for what seemed like an eternity and by the time I’d walked home to my place in North Carlton, the bars in Fitzroy and Carlton had been well visited and I have very scant memories of what I did that later night. Sunday was a let down in Rathdown St as Carlton had missed out and nobody else was celebrating our win.

 

[Scotland]

Had just turned 8. Watched it at home on a 34cm Akai TV. We upgraded to a 51cm Sanyo for 1994.

Have plenty of game memories like Peter Wilson's 'cork in the ocean' goal, 'Matera sets sail for home!', Mainy leaping off the bench with a bung ankle etc.

I wonder how many people looking back vividly remember only 4 players kicking 16.5 between them and another 8 players kicking 0.11?

One thing I will always remember is the news coverage of the day. The Royal Show was on and they had cameras down there in the morning with the footy starting at 12.50pm our time. A handful of people were in and out for the day by lunchtime and the Showgrounds were totally deserted. I know people that didn't watch 2006 or 2018 and people, but I don't think anyone in the state wasn't watching in 1992.

It gets overlooked with time but that was a young team. Only 6 players out of a squad of 20 (just the two on the bench then) were older than 24 and the most experienced player had played 131 games. We had a couple of guys with prior VFL/WAFL experience but a GF winning side with under 1600 games total experience (1753 pro rata for 22 players) is pretty rare. WC 1992 were younger and less experienced than the 2016 WB or 2021 Melbourne and people still carry on like we walked into the comp with an off the shelf dynasty side.

It might be Mandela effect but I swear the players drank EE tins on the field after the game.

 

[jaxxon]

I was living in Melbourne and just got my full AFL membership so sitting in the newly minted Great Southern Stand on GF day. Wearing my $200 Ralph Lauren Eagles jumpers I’d just purchased from a Collins St boutique, the magic of the Friday GF parade was different to 1991 since it was back at the G and Waverley was a distant memory.

Cats had a great team and brought early heat. What stood out for me was the 3rd quarter when Brett Heady started the momentum change. Watching Matera and his magic live at the game was scintillating. The last quarter - I just knew we had it won and could not see anything but victory.

Now the benefit of living in Melbourne and supporting an interstate team means that there are loads of opposition supporters to enjoy “interacting” with. Up until the Kelly trade, I had held a soft spot for Geelong fans. Not anymore. Actually the Geelong fans that day were really nice and ar$hole free. Never seen so many football picnic hampers with the homemade pickles and jams!! I think I polished off a good number of fourntwenty pies and no stadium can pour beer as fast and as well as the G.

It was during this period in the early 90’s when I developed a really loud clap which assisted me in getting to know plenty of Richmond, Collingwood and Blue Bagger fans. Being outnumbered felt more like a privilege than a hinderance. I got feedback from my partner that day to keep it quieter but that was appropriately ignored - probably one of the many reasons we are no longer together.

Anyway, I stayed at the G for what seemed like an eternity and by the time I’d walked home to my place in North Carlton, the bars in Fitzroy and Carlton had been well visited and I have very scant memories of what I did that later night. Sunday was a let down in Rathdown St as Carlton had missed out and nobody else was celebrating our win.

Heady is the one that I think get's overlooked a little, he was huge after half time.

 

[langdon19]

Heady is the one that I think get's overlooked a little, he was huge after half time.

Heady changed the game, probably 2nd in the norm smith.

 

[Scotland]

Heady had 28 touches and 20 kicks in the GF which is a lot for him and the era.

One of them was a 'delicate little chip'.

 

[Scotland]

Peter Matera

Peter Matera

Age

55

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

really was a special player. Only Judd had the same acceleration in traffic and he didn't kick goals from 60 (obviously he did other things better and didn't play on the wing).

 

[Astro7]

Being nervous as buggery, heart sinking as we fell 4 goals behind, then slowly elated from the time Matera gave us the lead with a running bomb from the wing. The West had a blue & gold wrap around the next day, which I still have. Magic day.

How often do you see that these days, with the Eagles, a running bomb from the wing - now that's a midfielder!
Some dirty play if I recall, or was that the next GF?
The mood after by the Vics, medal presentation, commentators and all, was not so much grudging respect, but graciously filthy! ((;
It was like the Eagles had done something underhanded.

 

[Bleedblueandgold]

I had no idea they existed back then.

 

[CursoryMercenary]

I remember having to get a costume for a dress up party and driving around Victoria Park and all the town was blue and gold it was amazing.

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