Best round of football ever

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Can you remember a round that was just full of exciting games. A few wins by less than a goal. Draws perhaps?

For me, Round 22 1987 did it. The makeup of the final five came down to the results of four games all changing shape on the same afternoon. Carlton vs North, Melbourne vs Doggies, Hawks vs Cats and Swans vs Fitzroy.

All had to win to guarantee either the top spot, a double chance or finals sport. Dogs lead Melbourne for three quarters and the Demons came back to win their first finals berth in ages and kill off the Dogs. Geelong lead Hawthorn late in the game before Dunstall goaled to win the game and put the Cats out of the running. North needed to beat Carlton and hope for a Swans loss to get the double chance. Fitzroy lead all day but the Swans got them in the last quearter. Carlton needed to win to get top spot as Hawthorn had just won. It was goal for goal in the last quarter and Kernahan was having a blinder. He marked and the siren went. He went back and coolly slotted it.

Never before have I known the emotions of so many fans to be on such a knife edge at on the day of the H & A rounds deep into the last quarter of so many games.

 

[goatmaster]

Hard to beat R21 this year though for drama
The Doggies beating Essendon (Thank god for that, imagine Dan's posts if they hadn't!)
Sydney knock Richmond out by a point, stay in the race themselves.
Ports win over Carlton with 2 goals in the last minute
The sheer mayhem of the Western Derby (finally got a bit of hate & rivalry going)
Collingwood knocking off the Roos (the orange jumper game)


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Goatmaster
the prime minister of the principality of Mooball

 

[Pessimistic]

The last round should be played simultaneously. Because they have only 4 grounds left in victoria there would need to be 4 interstate games.

One year the timing of the last round will stuff up the whole thing when perhaps, for example, the doggies play the last game and can qualify by losing by less than a certain number of poins (10 for example) - they would play totally negatively and get over the line.
The only reason this didn't happen in 2000 was because Richmond is so fond of 9th spot

 

[Grendel]

Yea, i remember that round 22 in 87 ODN. Great round, everyone wa playing for something, damn that Kernahan anyway

for actually kicking the ball straight for once.

Ahh but Bung, destroyed the cats in the last Q. Beautiful stuff. To bad he got injured for the GF as we would have beaten the blues and Dermie if he had been fit and you know we were going to bring in Matthews that day too, plus someone say Graham Arthur........


ps ODN and any other Blues fans, that was all just a dig, as to many havent been getting the joke lately i thought id better make it clear.

Cheers

 

[Dan26]

I was 12 when Round 22 1987 took place and I remember it vividly. It was remarkable.

At 4:40, NO position in the final five was secure, despite being into time on in the last quarter in ALL games.

"Sticks" kicked a goal after the siren to guarantee Carlton top spot. Hawthorn would have got top spot, if he had missed, becasue the Hawks had just come from behind to beat the Cats by three points at Kardinia Park.

Because Geelong lost, this meant the winner of Melbourne vs Footscray would make the final 5. Melbourne came from behind to win and made it for the first time in 23 years.

Even the Fitzroy-Swans clash was important. Sydney could drop to 4th and lose the double chance if North beat Carlton. North "nearly" beat Carlton, meaning that the Swans held the double chance by a whisker. Fortunatley, the Swans came from behind to beat Fitzroy, and Carlton beat North anyway, so the Swans were safe.

But what a round it was. Close, drama packed, exciting, memorable and emotional.... it had it all. Some last rounds promise much but don't deliver, because the games, whilst important, are one-sided.

Round 22 1987 was remarkable.

 

[kevin sooky]

And Dan the best thing about Rd 22 1987 was Collingwood defeating Essendon by 5 points in a high scoring game where Tim Watson gave Jamie Turner a coat hanger whilst Timmy for some reason wore No. 30. Also T Daniher and Vanda collided resulting in stiches to head of Daniher.

Great day that.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Onya Grendel, it has been getting hard to maintain the sense of humour lately.

Actually Hawthorn were buggered by the heat that day after playing three finals previously. Come to think of it, with Dunstall they may have been even worse off. didn't he lead the Hawks into the shade in 22 degrees at the Gabba!?

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mens sana in corpore sano - a sound mind in a sound body

 

[dees01]

Yes, the final round of 1987. What a memory for us Dees supporters starved of success. The pressure was enormous and when it was all over I had tears in my eyes. We were in the finals for the first time in God knows how many years.

 

[Grendel]

Yea ODN, but Bunga WAS ten years (or near enough) older then!!!