Grand Final memories

[raymond35]

I've been to 5.

1977 draw. Can only remember twiggy kicking his goal and the final siren. For some reason i remember the semifinal much more clearly.
1980 absolutely horrible
1981 i thought we were home in the third quarter and was going off. Have memories of the ball being stuck in Carltons forward line forever during the last quarter. What the hell happened?
1990 Sat right where mattys123 said he sat in the northern stand. Greatest day of my life, at that point.
2003 not good. Two lions supporters behind me were evicted by security before the opening bounce. Bloody idiots.

As i am no longer an afl member i probably won't get to another, but consider myself lucky to have seen the pies win one .

 

[SwanDaneFan1991]

Was on television in 2002. Remember us up early until lynch and company came to the party late in the second quarter. When w***ermanis kicked that goal i went outside my uncle's place and kicked the football on the road. I didnt see the ceremony. Brother gave me s**t being the jealous prick he was later on, and got into a brawl with him and he ended up with a broken nose. Kind of like his football team (north melbourne). Not a humble mob, and broken with lack of success. I have fond memories of the preliminary final against adelaide. My first final at 11 years old, remember scotland dribbling one home at the punt road end, then being the first to rise in the crowd when pebbles roosted one from the square. Off the boot you knew he kicked it.

Went to the qualifying final in 2003, and just wow what a night. Me and this big chubby bearded bloke that looked like Obese Arachnid with a duffle coat were holding on for dear life in the cheer squad. Saw both of didak's goals from the vantage point of the pocket, since they shifted the cheer squad to basically the wing for the AFL's beloved lions cheer squad. Piss off i reckon. That second goal was bloody superb, and to have pebbles kick one thirty seconds later was the fat lady. I was obsessed with the game for weeks. Beating the lions was like the germans beating the romans in teutoberg forest. Took on almost religious significance.

The grand final was the worst. Seriously seeing us get blown away after the excellent form all year, it really hurt. I remember w***ermanis kicking a drop punt from putside fifty, and i knew we were cooked by then. I had spent all the money i saved to buy a ticket and go, and then on heaps of food during the day, since i wasnt allowed junk food at home. My mate and i were on the back page of the herald sun the next day, with him crying and me just blankly staring into space. I was just cold and didnt know what to feel. We lost to fremantle in london in the off season and then to the eagles by a hundred points in the pre season cup after that, so it got much worse. Football can be an evil mistress.

Worked at every grand final from 2009-2013 and last and this years. Obvioualy present for the 2010-2011 grand finals, and the 2009 finals series where we got smashed by geelong in the preliminary. Jesus that hurt more than i thought it would have, even though the cats were a way superior side. We were lucky to be in it at half time. Remember the semi being behind all night and it was bloody hot for a night in September. Might have given a full throated roar that was unnecessary when the siren went. I was still in the MCC staff room walking out on a four hour shift.

Short note on the 2010 season, and working every collingwood game there except queens birthday (had a university exam). The stand puts were the round 16 game against the saints, where i thought we showed we were a threat, and then round 19 against geelong i was ecstatic. The preliminary final exceeded this feeling infintely, especially celebrating with some cousins on my mothers side who i had only just run into that night, when wellingham put us three goals up in the first. Bloke i worked with was ribbing me about the pies before the game, but we blew them away, and have had a habit since of blowing the cats away in games when we beat them. I was stunned to find ablett had 14 touches in such a lopesided first stanza. He is a gun, and looking forward to smashing the cats with him around in the future.

We obviously didnt show sn ability to hold a five goal first quarter lead in the more recent game this year, but hopefully rectify that. I dont remember a lot of the preliminary after that first quarter, but i felt invincible, and had no doubt we would take it to the saints.

The draw was blody horrible. The start was magnificent, especially daisy's wobbling torpedo. How he kicked it i have no idea. Problem seemed to be after half time. I went out for the third quarter at the city end, blokes offering me beer but i was on the clock, and im not a drinker. We were simply out of gas, and blair hit the post late in the third, where he was so much more reliable back then. I didnt see much after that, but i copped stick all day from the bosses, and that set me up for the crescendo. I did a victory lap when clokey booted what i thought was the winner, but then went numb when the siren went and it was a draw. I walked out on my boss who was a lovely old lady, but i reckon that disrespect might of taken the shine off my reputation. Since been repaired. All week i didnt even look at the football. Remember on the news people supposing the saints would win it, and i thought about buying tickets and going, but chose instead to go and be paid for the privilege.

Patched things up with the boss lady, celebrated en masse throughout the replay and nobody came near me and i was flying. Went out in the third quarter with two blokes who had brought a grand final package with accomodation for thousands of dollars. It was worth it that day, and we invaded the disabled area in one of the stands when dawes kicked his second. Some sort of gate thing that stood between standing room and the seats, and we hugged each other and everybody else. Went out before the final siren and was crowd surfing. Everyone was hugging each other. A real love fest. The only thing i remember after the game was the hung parliament. Awesome job labour.

2011 was just unstoppable until the grand final. That hawks game was a highlight and i just remember leon booting one in the last quarter. The bloke was a jet. We were back in a big way and i was more than relieved after that round 23 effort. Can someone explain how we let a five goal start turn into a hundred point loss? Rational without the malthouse conspiracies maybe!

The grand final was a sad tale and i havent gotten over it yet. First half was awesome until pods broke his leg. Krakouer and clokey on fire with three goals. Rusty dribbled one home and we were two and a half goals up. But the quarter went forty minutes, and bartel shifting to the forward line paid dividends. Being behind at three quarter time had me thinking we might mount a rescue effort, but seeing that carrot top orangutan ling dob one, and them run away with it, i was inconsolable. But i was still composed enough to finish work and head home.

Side note about other grand finals. The grandfather went to 1956 when athol webb smashed us with six and the dees won by 73 points. Relayed the story how the bloke at the gate waived him through and he didnt have to pay, because of the shear length of lines at the gate. He went in 1977 to the draw and they didnt reimburse people to go to the replay. Course not. From what i have heard we shoule have won that easily.

I was thought of by october 1990. Mom being a collingwood root rat filled herself with me pretty quick when she got with dad. Spent the day at the uncle's in geelong swimming in the womb with him sculling fosters and his collingwood grog squad top hanging off him. Apprently he was sleeping by half time and missed it all. Used to take eskies of ice and cans to games in the late eighties and nineties. You couldnt be caught blind doing that anymore.

About sums it all up. Hoping 2018 is better but can never be too sure. This new group is showing signs if we can just keep ourselves on the park, and not fade out of games like what happened on queens birthday. Christ i hate melbourne.

Cheers for reading

 

[WalterBlaknWhte]

...I was thought of by october 1990. Mom being a collingwood root rat filled herself with me pretty quick when she got with dad... Cheers for reading

I'm a sucker for a love story