Autopsy 'Remember when...' - Volume I: 1994

[Vdubs]

[youtube]TmMna1EwZ1E[/youtube]

Ok back on topic.

I think many of our posters are too young to remember the topic.

 

[maxy87]

I think many of our posters are too young to remember the topic.

Correct. Though it's interesting reading what others have posted. Will have to speak to my dad about 94 as I was only 7 and didn't really know what was going on

 

[SJ]

Correct. Though it's interesting reading what others have posted. Will have to speak to my dad about 94 as I was only 7 and didn't really know what was going on

I was 8 that year and have a few memories, the Mother's Day game at the MCG against Collingwood as mentioned, but also the preliminary final. I have a vivid memory of being inside listening to K-Rock, watching my mum in the garden listening to her own radio, and in the final minute pleading to the radio 'Ablett, Ablett, Ablett' before the great man delivered.

That year my Vickick team also played at Kardinia at half time of the Sydney match, fond memories of sitting behind the city end goals during the match and having a banana Big M and meat pie after we had played.

 

[winty]

Aside from the grand final perhaps 3 of the best finals games I have witnessed. Unfortunately we were stuffed by the time the grand final came. WC were probably always going to be too good anyway.

WCE were just extremely rested in that finals series. I think they had their 2nd bye a week or two before the finals, and had a week off during it. We had our 2nd bye about halfway through the season and had to battle through 3 tough finals just to get there.

One I remember- round 22 against Richmond at Optus Oval (Princes Park back then) and Ablett missing the game, Brownless moved to FF and he kicks 8?

Not that Richmond was much opposition- still a fun game to watch.

Richmond were actually pretty decent back then. They were in the eight with two weeks to go in the season until back to back smashings from Carlton and us meant they finished 9th. They did make the finals the next year though.

I remember Gazza's 200th game at Waverley against Carlton mid-season. Saw a couple of Carlton supporting mates before the game who were telling me we had no chance of winning that day. Half an hour later, we were 6 goals to 0 and I went up to them and said "You were saying?" Ended up cruising home by 6 goals that day.

I also had the misfortune of attending the grand final that year (the only GF i've been to). I've repressed most of the game from my memory, but what I can remember was the parachutist carrying the Eagles' flag landing in the car park and hoping it was an omen, and the urge to smash a kid five or so rows in front of us who would turn around and laugh at us every time the Eagles kicked a goal.

Probably the low point of that season, apart from the grand final, was losing to Brisbane at home. Disgraceful game.

 

[Beth]

Correct. Though it's interesting reading what others have posted. Will have to speak to my dad about 94 as I was only 7 and didn't really know what was going on

It helped a lot that the 4 GF losses were the beginning of my drinking years...

 

[SJ]

Some other images from that year (apologies if this takes time to load):

 

[chefmeister]

LOL at Leigh Tudor's hair...

Must've been a Richard Marx fan.

 

[Shell]

Richmond were actually pretty decent back then. They were in the eight with two weeks to go in the season until back to back smashings from Carlton and us meant they finished 9th. They did make the finals the next year though.
:

Yeah and we smashed them in the prelim!!!!!

I meant they werent much opposition for us, not the whole comp in general...

 

[Shell]

Lol, good pics SJ.


Now thats how footy shorts should be.

 

[SJ]

Yeah and we smashed them in the prelim!!!!!

I meant they werent much opposition for us, not the whole comp in general...

We beat Richmond in the prelim in 1995. My first and only visit to Waverley - of course it poured the entire game. But we will save that for another thread.

 

[Partridge]

We beat Richmond in the prelim in 1995. My first and only visit to Waverley - of course it poured the entire game. But we will save that for another thread.

Ah, for those of us who grew up in the eastern suburbs I can remember plenty of visits to Waverley. That game wasn't quite as enjoyable as the 1989 Prelim Final - that's the best day at Waverley I ever had, but still good. Despite the rain.

 

[Wild Cat 14]

Surely no discussion of the 1994 season can be complete without paying homage to our somewhat eccentric coach of the time Malcolm Blight. No doubt in my mind he got the best out of Gaz snr and took us to 3 GF's in 6 years after a decade in the wilderness.

A specific '94 memory - after an ordinary start to the year (losing 2 of our first 3 games), we travelled to Football Park (don't think it was AAMI back then) and for whatever reason in Blighty's head he thought it a good idea for our players to form a guard of honour outside the Crows' player race as they ran out. They promptly towelled us up by 5 goals but that summed up Blighty beautifully. Alas 1994 was Blighty's final year with us so thought he was worth a mention in any discussion of the Cats in that year.

 

[vinum coupe]

Ah, for those of us who grew up in the eastern suburbs I can remember plenty of visits to Waverley. That game wasn't quite as enjoyable as the 1989 Prelim Final - that's the best day at Waverley I ever had, but still good. Despite the rain.

I sat under the scoreboard at that game.
Do you remember gazza running through the middle to the other end bouncing the ball with an essendon player coming at him and a player chasing?

Borks one way, then the other, and both players smash into each other head on

 

[chefmeister]

I thought Blighty was great for us.
Did all he could with that team and the '94 GF was the final act.

3 GF's in 6 years ain't bad at all.

Then we got that spud from Hawthorn to coach us.

 

[chefmeister]

I sat under the scoreboard at that game.
Do you remember gazza running through the middle to the other end bouncing the ball with an essendon player coming at him and a player chasing?

Borks one way, then the other, and both players smash into each other head on

Saw that on a highlight reel.
The gasp from the crowd on that play was unanimous.

 

[Partridge]

I thought Blighty was great for us.
Did all he could with that team and the '94 GF was the final act.

3 GF's in 6 years ain't bad at all.

Then we got that spud from Hawthorn to coach us.

Apart from win Grand Finals.

Was a good coach, but that's it. For every good idea he had there was an equally appalling one which often cost us games. Refused to watch the 1989 Grand Final after the event. How can you learn if you don't study what you do wrong?

 

[SJ]

- Elimination Final against Footscray - Very up and down match, Ablett blitzed early kicking I think 5 in the first quarter. After that, went through all the emotions until Brownless won the game for us after the siren. Celebrated by heading to the Espy and seeing the Powder Monkeys tear the house down. Great night.

I watched the last quarter of this last night and Ablett had a set shot from about 15 metres out on a 45-degree angle (the camera was almost right behind him) and half-shanked it but to me it clearly went through (as I said, it was a good angle to tell) yet the umpire gave it a behind. I wonder if we had just lost whether that would have been a stronger memory.

 

[Partridge]

I watched the last quarter of this last night and Ablett had a set shot from about 15 metres out on a 45-degree angle (the camera was almost right behind him) and half-shanked it but to me it clearly went through (as I said, it was a good angle to tell) yet the umpire gave it a behind. I wonder if we had just lost whether that would have been a stronger memory.

No doubt. I remember that last quarter being very, very tense. I thought when Osborne kicked that goal we'd blown it for sure. Grief to ecstasy in 60 seconds.

 

[Vdubs]

Ah, for those of us who grew up in the eastern suburbs I can remember plenty of visits to Waverley. That game wasn't quite as enjoyable as the 1989 Prelim Final - that's the best day at Waverley I ever had, but still good. Despite the rain.

Agree 100%. Went to the Bombers final 2 weeks b4 when we got totally humiliated. Hard to believe the turnaround, helped by the Hawks doing a mean touchup job on several star Bombers.

Seeing Buddha and Ablett at their best to be 106 points up just b4 they got 2 late charities.

 

[Vdubs]

Apart from win Grand Finals.

Was a good coach, but that's it. For every good idea he had there was an equally appalling one which often cost us games. Refused to watch the 1989 Grand Final after the event. How can you learn if you don't study what you do wrong?

After the 1st/4 where we went for the man a bit much, we didn't do a lot wrong in that 89 GF. Sheedy had said we would beat Hawthorn IF we could stop them beating up on us, and obviously they took it too far. Not sure what you mean by your comment but that GF was game worth watching

 

[volcboy]

I remember the finals series well, for a number of reasons.

Elimination Final: Sat on the top deck of the old Olympic (Northern) Stand with a GFC supporting mate enjoying some herbal enhancement as the sun set over the city. Made the goal after the siren to win it seem like pure magic.

I then went on a field trip (geology) for Uni to a sheep station 100 km NW of Broken Hill (most of the travel on 4WD tracks) for 2.5 weeks.

I listened to the Geelong/Carlton game on and old transistor radio while I was meant to be field mapping. It was worth the time given up!

The whole field trip took a break on preliminary final weekend to travel in to Broken Hill to a pub to watch the preliminary final. An even number of students were going for each side, and when GAblett took the mark that won the game, the pub (especially the 20+ well lubricated students) went mental. Very memorable.

The GF was played on our last day on site after our completed field map had been handed in (with most students working non-stop overnight to complete their work). Many slabs of beer had been purchased and driven out to site. Unfortunately, the way the game unfolded, I spent the last quarter consuming a six-pack of beer by myself in the empty shearing shed on my lonesome with some late support from a North supporter who shared my pain (having watched the week before). Dulled the pain by partying very hard all night around a large bonfire

Good year, 1994

 

[SJ]

[YOUTUBE]vjENYwCnf3E[/YOUTUBE]

 

[ablett5]

in the 94 final against the pigdogs i still remember bairstow getting the ball in the middle of the ground (tap from barnsy) ,running 20 metres and kicking it 50 metres lace out to ablett , but bairstow did that many a time

 

[you pick one]

[youtube]vjENYwCnf3E[/youtube]

Great quality vid SJ thanks.Wish I could say the same for big pond stuff,never get enough of the great man thanks again.

 

[vjknight]

hi, just dropping by.

in the 90's i was an AFL member who wanted to watch good footy, so avoided collingwood games like the plague and went to see good teams play each other - lots of cats vs dogs vs dons vs roos vs eagles.

my memories of this geelong era were a team great on highlights, pushing forward at all costs, but low on responsibility and backing up. hence they beat most thru sheer quantity, but quality, well drilled sides kept knocking them off in the main game.

for someone like myself not aligned to any team on the ground, but simply there for the show, it was the most brilliant stuff. my wish was for a geelong vs north GF, and it got close with that 94 prelim, and what a result. poor mick martyn wrong footed, and ablett alone in the goal square, quiet all day, becomes the hero suddenly. two sides renowned for highly skilled play, high scoring made it a feast.