All-Time Most Mysterious Games

[emuboy]

Round 6 1991 MCG (Anzac Day) - North Melbourne vs. Sydney Swans.

Sydney jump their hosts in a high scoring first quarter, and lead 9.3 to 5.7 at quarter time. The high scoring continues in the second term, and the sides go in at half time with the Swans leading by 30 points, 19.6 to 13.12. Early in the third term, Sydney have extended their lead to 36 points and lead 21.8 to 14.14, and the 345 point aggregate score of St Kilda vs. Melbourne in 1978 looks at risk. But the Swans fail to score again in the third quarter, and indeed for the rest of the match. North come back to trail by 2 points at three quarter time, 19.18 to 21.8, before the Kangaroos bound away with an unanswered 8.8-56 to 0.0-0 in the final term, easily beating the Swans 27.26-188 to 21.8-134.

Perhaps more than any other game ever played, if you saw the quarter by quarter scores in a football statistics book or webpage you would be excused for thinking it was a mistake, an error in the numbers made by the author and not picked by editors. However it really did happen, and nearly three decades later it is still a mystery how. I think Warwick Moss could best sum up the Kangaroos vs. Swans game played on Anzac Day 1991 - 'That is extraordinary.'

 

[Lsta062]

Melbourne has a promising but mediocre season in 2010 (8 1/2 wins) yet spanked the swans at the mcg by 73 points (Sydney finished 5th with 13 wins). At one stage in the last the margin was over 100.

I remember that game vividly. We were in Brunswick ordering a kebab when we turned the radio on and were gobsmacked at the margin that Sydney were down by. It didn't quite reach 100 points, but it came close (91 points was the highest margin).

It's probably top 2 in the worst losses I have seen Sydney endure in margin (worst is the 89 points against Hawthorn in 2015).

 

[Lsta062]

You clearly haven't watched us play west coast recently. That happens every time

It has happened 3 times in the last 2 years if you include preseason, right? Baffling.

 

[Lsta062]

There is one game that goes under people's radar in terms of how bizarre it was. Richmond's Round 19, 2015 match against Adelaide in AO. In the month before that game, Richmond defeated a top 4 Sydney outfit at the SCG, lost to ladder leading Fremantle by only 4 points in the last 2 minutes and took down Hawthorn, who just destroyed top 4 teams Fremantle, Sydney and wooden spooners Carlton by 72, 89 and 138 points respectively in succession.

Richmond then travel to Adelaide Oval the following week. Brett Deledio is a late withdrawal because of illness, but that was fine to us since we were going great anyway. We then proceed to lose by 36 points in what I describe as the biggest 36-point thumping that I have ever seen. It really felt like a 100-point loss. Adelaide had 33 scoring shots to Richmond's 12. After half time, it actually was 20-5 scoring shots. We were lucky they scored 11.22 to our 8.4 that day. The inside 50s were also terrible - 74-39 Adelaide's way and contested possessions were 151-119.

It's just that we looked very good heading into the game whereas Adelaide lost by 52 points to Sydney at the SCG the previous round. Now we can't enter AO without getting smashed by Adelaide and the AFL schedule us to play them there every year bar 1 since Adelaide moved there.

 

[Feerits Elf]

Yeah Richmond suffering a six-goal loss against the Crows at Adelaide Oval, that's Twilight Zone stuff

 

[True Blue Saint]

St Kilda v Sydney R7 1994

Swans were up by 38 at 3/4 time. Kicked an early goal in the last and the lead was out to 44 points.

Saints stormed home and ended up winning by a point.

Plugger kicked 11 of 16 goals and copped 8 weeks for re-arranging Peter Caven's face.

Both teams were crap that year - but my word as a soon-to-be 7 year old kid that game was so exciting. Memorable comeback.

 

[Trouto]

Yeah Richmond suffering a six-goal loss against the Crows at Adelaide Oval, that's Twilight Zone stuff

Richmond suffering a loss away from the MCG? Say it aint so!!!

 

[Gavin Excell]

Time for a Peter Andre refrain

Oh oh ohhh
Mysterious Games
I wanna get close to you

 

[BigVic]

2005 round 9

Undefeated West Coast vs bottom of the table and one win Collingwood.

Eagles lost the game by 23 points but finished the regular season on top of the ladder.

 

[GreyCrow]

The antithesis of this occurred in 2012 when West Coast defeated Hawthorn 51-46. That's 5.21 to 5.16. Halftime was 0.12 to 2.7. Utterly ridiculous and the worst display of goalkicking I've ever seen collectively by both teams.

R18 2004

Adelaide 0.3.3 0.10.10 2.17.29 5.19.49
Kangaroos 1.7.13 1.8.14 2.10.22 5.12.42

 

[BigVic]

Crows kicking 0.10 was one of the worst kicking displays in recent time but somehow won the game.

A week after being thrashed by a club record 141 points to Brisbane

 

[The Warlord]

Round 6 1991 MCG (Anzac Day) - North Melbourne vs. Sydney Swans.

Sydney jump their hosts in a high scoring first quarter, and lead 9.3 to 5.7 at quarter time. The high scoring continues in the second term, and the sides go in at half time with the Swans leading by 30 points, 19.6 to 13.12. Early in the third term, Sydney have extended their lead to 36 points and lead 21.8 to 14.14, and the 345 point aggregate score of St Kilda vs. Melbourne in 1978 looks at risk. But the Swans fail to score again in the third quarter, and indeed for the rest of the match. North come back to trail by 2 points at three quarter time, 19.18 to 21.8, before the Kangaroos bound away with an unanswered 8.8-56 to 0.0-0 in the final term, easily beating the Swans 27.26-188 to 21.8-134.

Perhaps more than any other game ever played, if you saw the quarter by quarter scores in a football statistics book or webpage you would be excused for thinking it was a mistake, an error in the numbers made by the author and not picked by editors. However it really did happen, and nearly three decades later it is still a mystery how. I think Warwick Moss could best sum up the Kangaroos vs. Swans game played on Anzac Day 1991 - 'That is extraordinary.'

Great game, I was there.

 

[emuboy]

Great game, I was there.

It's interesting you were there. Did you gain any insight of what went wrong for the Swans that day? I just can't believe that a team that kicked 19 goals to half time, continued scoring freely enough early after the long break could then fail to score at all after the 10 minute mark of the third term, while their opponents piled on 13.12-90 in that time?

 

[emuboy]

2005 round 9

Undefeated West Coast vs bottom of the table and one win Collingwood.

Eagles lost the game by 23 points but finished the regular season on top of the ladder.

A bit of de ja vu there for West Coast.

In 1991 the Eagles lost a top vs. bottom clash against Fitzroy in the last round, the Lions climbing off last place and handing the Bears the wooden spoon in the process. In both years, West Coast finished runner up.

 

[winty]

Round 13, 1983 - Going into the game, North Melbourne and Fitzroy were only separated on percentage in 1st and 3rd respectively (Essendon were 2nd). Fitzroy ended up winning by 150 points, 34.16.220 to 10.10.70.

 

[The Warlord]

Round 13, 1983 - Going into the game, North Melbourne and Fitzroy were only separated on percentage in 1st and 3rd respectively (Essendon were 2nd). Fitzroy ended up winning by 150 points, 34.16.220 to 10.10.70.

I was there that day too. Jeez that was an epic flogging.

 

[GreyCrow]

Has someone mentioned the St Kilda game that kept Adelaide out of the 4?

Round 22 2008 from the St Kilda site

http://www.redwhiteandblack.com.au/...d-round-22-st-kilda-storms-into-the-top-four/


For the Saints, after spending much of 2008 looking like also-rans after a NAB Cup premiership, had forced their way into the finals, and needed to post a win of nearly 100 points to sneak into the top four in the final game of the season, after Collingwood’s surprise loss to Fremantle on the Friday night had left the door ajar.

Somehow, they massacred the Bombers by 108 points in a record win against the team from Windy Hill who had enjoyed through years – and still do enjoy – giving the Saints all sorts of trouble.

 

[PAFC_1870]

Crows kicking 0.10 was one of the worst kicking displays in recent time but somehow won the game.

A week after being thrashed by a club record 141 points to Brisbane

North weren't much better either, it was the worst half of football I've seen from 2 teams in good conditions.

 

[BigVic]

We can add today’s GC vs Freo game.

Gold Coast kicked a wasteful 7.19 (61) to Freo’s 8.10 (58) to secure an upset victory against a side that won easily just 7 days ago.

 

[Macpotata]

Possibly even the Dogs vs Hawks game. Crazy way to end a match right out of left field.


left right. Right. Left. Left.

 

[Ashb23]

I seem to remember getting flogged y Essendon in the Qualifying final in ‘89 (10 plus goals), only to return the favour two weeks later, by a similar margin. Strange..

 

[megatiger]

Huh? 26 points not 86.

Eleven rushed behinds by Hawthorn led to a change in the rules.

or was that Joel Bowden vs I think Essendon?

 

[Baird]

This game from 2012's scoreline has always amazed me. West coast kick 0 goals in the first half, 5 for the match and still beat the eventual minor premiers Hawthorn. 10.37 combined! Has there been a more inaccurate match in the modern era?

 

[PurpleHornet]

We can add today’s GC vs Freo game.

Gold Coast kicked a wasteful 7.19 (61) to Freo’s 8.10 (58) to secure an upset victory against a side that won easily just 7 days ago.

The title of the thread is ‘All Time most mysterious games’

A likely bottom 6 team beating another likely bottom 6 team by 3 points? Yep, better call in Mulder and Scully

 

[juice t]

or was that Joel Bowden vs I think Essendon?

It was started by Bowden and then Hawthorn pretty much slammed the nail in the coffin on the issue