Amazing coincidences in football

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Dear Football Gods, please let GWS beat Hawthorn by 135-points this afternoon. Why these teams and such a specific margin? Because it would complete an amazing run of coincidences with a certain number of teams and this margin as follows:

1986: Hawthorn d. Geelong by 135-points
1995: West Coast d. Adelaide by 135-points
2008: Geelong d. West Coast by 135-points
2013: Adelaide d. GWS by 135-points
 
Five club players are extremely rare, but the Fremantle Dockers had two on their list for four years from 1998-2001, Dale Kickett and Adrian Fletcher. However the amazing coincidences that link their careers do not end there:

1. Fletcher and Kickett both started with state league teams that wear black and white jumpers - Tasmania's Glenorchy Magpies for Fletcher, and WAFL team Swan Districts for Kickett, where he played briefly before transferring to Claremont in 1988.
2. Both Fletcher and Kickett would debut in 1989 and 1990 respectively against clubs that they would later play for. Fletcher's senior debut was for Geelong against the Brisbane Bears, while Dale Kickett debuted for Fitzroy against Essendon.
3. Kickett and Fletcher had been team-mates once before, for St Kilda in 1992, despite both of them playing just one season for the Saints.
4. Prior to the Round 9 1995 game between the Dockers and Bears at Subiaco Oval, Adrian Fletcher and Dale Kickett had never played as opponents in the same match. When Fletcher was playing for the Cats and Bears in the early 1990s, he was never in any games against Fitzroy, West Coast Eagles or Essendon teams containing Dale Kickett.
5. Both Kickett and Fletcher played in debut teams for new clubs. In Round 1 1995 Dale Kickett was part of the first Fremantle Dockers team that played Richmond, while in Round 1 1997 Adrian Fletcher for the Brisbane Lions in their post merger debut against the Adelaide Crows.
6. They also played in the last games for two clubs in 1996. For Fremantle, Dale Kickett played in the last ever game for his former club Fitzroy in Round 22 1996, while Adrian Fletcher was a member of the Brisbane Bears team that played their final game in the 1996 preliminary final against North Melbourne.
7. Kickett and Fletcher would only play for one season each for the Lions, Kickett for the Fitzroy variety in 1990, and Fletcher for the Brisbane variety in 1997.
8. Both ended their careers with matches against Adelade teams in Perth; Fletcher against the Adelaide Crows in Round 22 2001 and Kickett against Port Adelaide in Round 14 2002.
9. Fletcher and Kickett enjoyed success at state level teams that wear blue and gold jumpers. Dale Kickett played in three premiership teams for WAFL team the Claremont Tigers (1989, 1991 and 1993) and won the Simpson Medal for BOG in 1991 and 1993. Post AFL Fletcher moved to Victoria to play for VFL team Williamstown Seagulls, and was part of that team's 2003 premiership, winning the Goss Medal for best afield.
 

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After 2012, Kurt Tippett had kicked 188 goals in 104 games for the Adelaide Crows before moving to Sydney.

After 2019, Joe Daniher had kicked 188 goals in 104 games for Essendon and was involved in discussions about a trade to Sydney.

The trade didn't end up happening, maybe for the best if that's any sort of omen.
 
Geelong's percentage is 119.0% after beating the team they lost to in the 92 and 94 Grand Finals in South Australia the team where Port Adelaide is based whom they defeated to break their grand final drought.
Also the only other 2023 Cat win came against Hawthorn which is the other team Geelong is 0-2 in GFs in the 14+ team era.
 
2019:

• West Coast loses their opening round match on a Saturday on the road

• GWS wins its opening round match on a Sunday afternoon at home

• West Coast wins its first match for the season beating GWS in round two at home



2023:

• West Coast loses their opening round match on a Saturday on the road

• GWS wins its opening round match on a Sunday afternoon at home

- West Coast wins its first match for the season beating GWS in round two at home
 
John Longmire and Chris Scott are both responsible for each other’s greatest losing margin as a coach.

In R11 2014 Sydney d Geelong by 110 and in R6 2023 Geelong d Sydney by 93. Both losing teams kicked five goals.

FYI. Amazingly Geelong still finished third at the end of the 2014 H&A season but would not win a final. I believe that is the only September when two teams have gone out in “straight sets” as the fourth placed Dockers also lost both of their finals.

From the 7 commentary - John Longmire has had just four 60+ losses as coach and Isaac Smith has played in all of them. In the 2014 GF Hawthorn won by 63 and in R16 2015 Hawthorn won by 89 (’63 and ’89 are both Hawthorn v Geelong GF years) and the 2022 GF and R6 2023.
 
John Longmire and Chris Scott are both responsible for each other’s greatest losing margin as a coach.

In R11 2014 Sydney d Geelong by 110 and in R6 2023 Geelong d Sydney by 93.

Also 110 points was the combined winning margins of all three games played up to that point in R6 2023.

Dogs d Dockers by 49, Port d WC by 40 and BL beat GWS by 21.
 
Nothing amazing in this post but just a few things that are slightly interesting about the 2022 GF. Enjoy.

In the first quarter with Geelong on 31 points Gryan Miers has a quick snap that goes through for a point to make the team’s score match his jumper number.

It happened again.

In both the 2022 GF and the R6 2023 Cat v Swan encounter Gryan Miers was the cause of the GFC score being in sync with his playing number. Less directly in the replay: he passed the ball to Jeremy Cameron who kicked the goal which brought the Cats to 5.2.32.
 

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When Hawthorn demolished Port Adelaide 31.11-197 to 5.2-32 at the MCG in Round 19 2011, they equaled two records held by Essendon in just one game.

Prior to this game, Essendon were the only team to have kicked a score of 197, and this had only occurred earlier in 2011 when the Bombers trounced new team Gold Coast Suns 31.11-197 to 8.10-58. Essendon were also the only team to date to have won a game by 165-points, when they thrashed South Melbourne 28.16-184 to 2.7-19 at Windy Hill in Round 18 1964.

And 12 years later, no other team has finished with a score of 197 nor won a game by 165-points.
 
Anzac Day 2022

Player wearing a number in their 30s (Jack Ginnivan 33) shushed at Essendon fans won the Anzac Medal

Anzac Day 2023

Player wearing a number in their 30s (Nick Daicos 35) shushed at Essendon fans won the Anzac Medal

Both were almost at the same spot
 
Ridiculous. 2005-2020 had at least one of these teams in it.
Pies involved in 2002-2003 and Cats/Swans 2022 so only 2 GFs since 2002 with Cats/Swans/Pies all a chance to feature again this year.

So much for equalisation lol
 
Lions 2001 and Lions 2023 first 7 rounds.

In 2001 before Lions first flag since moving north (9th as Fitzroy/Brisbane)
Round 1 lost to Port
Round 4 lost to Dogs
Round 2 Beat North by 60
Round 5 Beat Fremantle by 51
2023
Round 1 lost to Port
Round 3 Lost to Dogs
Round 5 Beat North by 75
Round 7 Beat Fremantle 48
 
Lions 2001 and Lions 2023 first 7 rounds.

In 2001 before Lions first flag since moving north (9th as Fitzroy/Brisbane)
Round 1 lost to Port
Round 4 lost to Dogs
Round 2 Beat North by 60
Round 5 Beat Fremantle by 51
2023
Round 1 lost to Port
Round 3 Lost to Dogs
Round 5 Beat North by 75
Round 7 Beat Fremantle 48
Its Happening GIF by MOODMAN
 
Lions 2001 and Lions 2023 first 7 rounds.

In 2001 before Lions first flag since moving north (9th as Fitzroy/Brisbane)
Round 1 lost to Port
Round 4 lost to Dogs
Round 2 Beat North by 60
Round 5 Beat Fremantle by 51
2023
Round 1 lost to Port
Round 3 Lost to Dogs
Round 5 Beat North by 75
Round 7 Beat Fremantle 48
What's their record in Victoria lately? They couldn't even make the GF at home in 2020.
 
What's their record in Victoria lately?

2021 - 4 games in Victoria. Won 2 Lost 2.
2022 - 6 games in Victoria (including 2 finals). - Won 3 (including a win against Melbourne in a final at the MCG). Lost 3.
2023 - 1 match in Victoria. Lost to Western Bulldogs by 14 points.

They couldn't even make the GF at home in 2020.

But went one better than in 2019 when the Lions went out in straight sets in the finals. Not good enough in 2020 against Geelong, irrespective of whether Brisbane played at home or not.
 

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