Round 22 - 1987

[EDFL follower]

Thought I would make a thread about what I believe is the most incredible round of football ever played.
Going in to the last round of 1987 the ladder was as follows. These were the days of a final 5.
Carlton 68pts 140%
Hawks 64pts 150%
Sydney 56pts 131%
Nth 54pts 99%
Geelong 46pts 100%
--------------------------
Footscray 46pts 96%
Melbourne 44pts 107%

Round 22 matches
Carlton v Nth @ Waverley - Carlton needed to win to guarantee top spot and the first week off in finals and North could get the double chance if they won and Sydney lost.
Fitzroy v Sydney @ Princes Park - Sydney need to win to guarantee 3rd spot and the double chance.
Footscray v Melbourne @ Western Oval - The winner would play finals as long as Geelong lost to Hawthorn. Melbourne hadnt played finals for 23 years (since 1964) and there was big media talk about giving Robbie Flower a chance to finally play in a final.
Geelong v Hawthorn @ Kardinia Park - Geelong needed to win to play finals and Hawthorn needed to win and hoped Carlton lost to get top spot and the week off in the first week of finals.

What happened on that final Saturday was incredible (remember all games were played at the same time in those days)
At half time
Nth lead Carlton by 16 points
Fitzroy lead Sydney by 8 points
Footscray lead Melbourne by 6 points
Geelong lead Hawthorn by 6 points

Incredibly all 4 games results saw the teams leading at half time be defeated.
Carlton beat Nth with Kernahan kicking a goal after the siren to give them top spot and to deny Nth any chance of getting the double chance.
Sydney fought back to defeat Fitzroy by 8 points to give them the double chance.
Melbourne overran Footscray to win by 15 points which was enough to get them into the finals thanks to Hawthorn beating Geelong.
Hawthorn defeated Geelong by 3 points after a late goal from Dunstall to kick Geelong out of the finals.

Although I am a Nth supporter I was at the Western oval that day and still remember all the Melbourne supporters glued to their radio transistors roaring when Dunstall kicked that last goal down at Geelong. (game was still going at Footscray but Melbourne had the game won). Of course Melbournes dream run would all come to an end in the prelim when Stynes ran across the mark and Buckenara put the Hawks int o the Grand Final after the 15 metre penalty brought him within range of goal.
For the people of my vintage just wondering what your memories of that day are and for the younger people Im wondering if they were aware of this incredible round of football?

 

[GROTTO]

Probably whats more incredible is that Carlton won a game.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Probably whats more incredible is that Carlton won a game.

To me there was some sense of inevitability the Blues would win the flag that year. They had the best team in 1986 and were ambushed by the Hawks in the GF, after beating them early in the finals. A Hawks team that turned up in the GF with monotonous regularity in that period, and won more often than not.

I guess the OP is a reminder it wasn't certain in real time, but my memory is it was always going to happen that the Blues would beat the Hawks in the GF.

 

[Rabman]

Recruitment of Kernahan and Bradley pivotal to the premiership, excellent recruiting by Elliot.

 

[TedDougChris]

Was at the Western Oval that day too, was most upset....

 

[LightTower4]

Stood behind the goals at the Geelong Road end.
It was chockers.
Also the game where Garry Lyon broke his leg.

 

[Topkent]

Have heard alot about and its supposedly hands down the best round of footy ever due to the sheer amount riding on the results.

My vintage of Dees supporters cried when we made finals after 12 years out, bloody makes you realise what me dad's generation went through to see them miss for 23!

 

[Luv_our_club]

The Cat's fans talk about how much they hated Hawthorn... but that rivalry only really became alive to me after the 2008 grand final. But it has been real for the Cats fans for a lot longer.

When i think back on round 22.... and that period... the rivalry was like this.

 

[pazza]

It's worth comparing this to Round 22 1981.

The ladder after Round 21 was as follows:

Collingwood - 17-4 - 124.7
Carlton - 16-5 - 129.4
Essendon - 16-5 - 128.9
Geelong - 15-6 - 130.1
Fitzroy - 13-8 - 111.1
-----------------------------
Richmond - 13-8 - 106.7
Hawthorn - 12-9 - 107.1

The match-ups:

Richmond v Carlton - a Richmond win and a Fitzroy to loss to Collingwood would see Richmond finish 5th. A loss could see them finish 7th if Hawthorn would beat Melbourne. Carlton to finish top would need a Collingwood loss, whereas a Carlton loss and an Essendon win over Geelong would see them fall to 4th.

Collingwood v Fitzroy - A Collingwood win would guarantee top spot. A loss and suddenly they could finish as low as 3rd. Fitzroy needed to win to guarantee 5th, whilst a loss would give that spot to Richmond, but a possible finish of 7th depending on the win Hawthorn would have over Melbourne.

Geelong v Essendon - the prize for Geelong was the double chance. A win over Essendon would guarantee it. For Essendon the prize was either 2nd or 3rd should there be a win, but a loss would see them fall to 4th.

A wet day dawned and it had a huge impact.

Half-time:

Carlton 5.9.39
Richmond 2.8.20

Collingwood 0.2.2
Fitzroy 5.9.39

Essendon 2.4.16
Geelong 3.7.25

Hawthorn 6.9.45
Melbourne 4.6.30

By 3/4 time the only result seemingly too close was Essendon v Geelong, where the margin was 6 points at 3/4 time.

Essendon 5.6.36
Geelong 5.12.42

In the end it went like this:

Carlton 9.13.67
Richmond 5.10.40

Fitzroy 8.11.59
Collingwood 4.9.33

Geelong 7.13.55
Essendon 6.11.47

Hawthorn 15.20.110 (highest score for the round!)
Melbourne 8.9.57 (including a Mark Jackson handstand)

Final ladder:

Carlton - 17-5 - 130.3
Collingwood - 17-5 - 122.6
Geelong - 16-6 - 129.8
Essendon - 16-6 - 127.6
Fitzroy - 14-8 - 112.1
----------------------------
Hawthorn - 13-9 - 109.4
Richmond - 13-9 - 105.3

 

[dzussy]

That Round 23 in 1987 was remarkable.
I remember it well, all we had back in WA was "The Winners" on Sunday nights. And we got all of this off that great show.

The Hawks kicked the winner in the dying seconds to kill Geelong.

Melbourne grinded away to beat the Bulldogs in the last few minutes.
They didnt know they made it until they were in the rooms afterwards once word had filtered through that the Hawks knocked off Geelong.

And Carlton secured top spot when Kernahan kicked a goal after the siren against North Melbourne at Waverley.
A huge way towards them winning the flag in the end, and they knew it.

What a way to end a season. It was an amazing finish. Never seen anything like it.

 

[Thrawn]

Probably whats more incredible is that Carlton won a game.

Spoken like someone who wasn't born before 2002.

 

[Paul Kersey]

Remember it well. Had to listen to the radio broadcast. Pretty certain Geelong didn't beat Hawthorn until the home and away in 91. It was ridiculous - just always got up against them. It was all in vain as Carlton were too good that year. Hawthorn too banged up and with no Dunstall and an injured Brereton it was near impossible. Still ridiculous we even made it considering Melbourne lost the impossible game to lose the week earlier. And how could an 87 finals' series post be complete without mentioning Sydney's qualifying final performance? Wow.

 

[LightTower4]

Remember it well. Had to listen to the radio broadcast. Pretty certain Geelong didn't beat Hawthorn until the home and away in 91. It was ridiculous - just always got up against them. It was all in vain as Carlton were too good that year. Hawthorn too banged up and with no Dunstall and an injured Brereton it was near impossible. Still ridiculous we even made it considering Melbourne lost the impossible game to lose the week earlier. And how could an 87 finals' series post be complete without mentioning Sydney's qualifying final performance? Wow.

They didn't go so well the week after either.
And midway during the season they kicked near or over 200+ points for 3 weeks running.

 

[The Blue Baggers]

Thought I would make a thread about what I believe is the most incredible round of football ever played.
Going in to the last round of 1987 the ladder was as follows. These were the days of a final 5.
Carlton 68pts 140%
Hawks 64pts 150%
Sydney 56pts 131%
Nth 54pts 99%
Geelong 46pts 100%
--------------------------
Footscray 46pts 96%
Melbourne 44pts 107%

Round 22 matches
Carlton v Nth @ Waverley - Carlton needed to win to guarantee top spot and the first week off in finals and North could get the double chance if they won and Sydney lost.
Fitzroy v Sydney @ Princes Park - Sydney need to win to guarantee 3rd spot and the double chance.
Footscray v Melbourne @ Western Oval - The winner would play finals as long as Geelong lost to Hawthorn. Melbourne hadnt played finals for 23 years (since 1964) and there was big media talk about giving Robbie Flower a chance to finally play in a final.
Geelong v Hawthorn @ Kardinia Park - Geelong needed to win to play finals and Hawthorn needed to win and hoped Carlton lost to get top spot and the week off in the first week of finals.

What happened on that final Saturday was incredible (remember all games were played at the same time in those days)
At half time
Nth lead Carlton by 16 points
Fitzroy lead Sydney by 8 points
Footscray lead Melbourne by 6 points
Geelong lead Hawthorn by 6 points

Incredibly all 4 games results saw the teams leading at half time be defeated.
Carlton beat Nth with Kernahan kicking a goal after the siren to give them top spot and to deny Nth any chance of getting the double chance.
Sydney fought back to defeat Fitzroy by 8 points to give them the double chance.
Melbourne overran Footscray to win by 15 points which was enough to get them into the finals thanks to Hawthorn beating Geelong.
Hawthorn defeated Geelong by 3 points after a late goal from Dunstall to kick Geelong out of the finals.

Although I am a Nth supporter I was at the Western oval that day and still remember all the Melbourne supporters glued to their radio transistors roaring when Dunstall kicked that last goal down at Geelong. (game was still going at Footscray but Melbourne had the game won). Of course Melbournes dream run would all come to an end in the prelim when Stynes ran across the mark and Buckenara put the Hawks int o the Grand Final after the 15 metre penalty brought him within range of goal.
For the people of my vintage just wondering what your memories of that day are and for the younger people Im wondering if they were aware of this incredible round of football?

This why for the last round all games should be played at the same time !!

 

[The Blue Baggers]

Recruitment of Kernahan and Bradley pivotal to the premiership, excellent recruiting by Elliot.

What is forgotten a year after recruiting Kernahan , Bradley & Motley ...... Mark Naley was also recruited from SA and was 1st rover in the 87 premiership team !!

Add Bernie Evans (suspended for the GF) & Rhys-Jones from the Swans ... 5 years later we also brought back Diesel

Add Dorotich & Hunter from WA

Good years when the State of Origin games were Carlton’s zone !!

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

What is forgotten a year after recruiting Kernahan , Bradley & Motley ...... Mark Naley was also recruited from SA and was 1st rover in the 87 premiership team !!

Add Bernie Evans (suspended for the GF) & Rhys-Jones from the Swans ... 5 years later we also brought back Diesel

Add Dorotich & Hunter from WA

Good years when the State of Origin games were Carlton’s zone !!

I remember Naley in the SA league. Brilliant player. There were two real star rovers in SA around that time Platten and Naley. From memory they teamed up to win SA a SOO game against Victoria.

 

[Paul Kersey]

What is forgotten a year after recruiting Kernahan , Bradley & Motley ...... Mark Naley was also recruited from SA and was 1st rover in the 87 premiership team !!

Add Bernie Evans (suspended for the GF) & Rhys-Jones from the Swans ... 5 years later we also brought back Diesel

Add Dorotich & Hunter from WA

Good years when the State of Origin games were Carlton’s zone !!

Carlton did alright out of that. Don't think they minded losing $20K on the Rat given who they got.

 

[PowerForGood]

A pity that the final round doesn't all happen at the same time.
10 years on in 1997, imagine all of the below all at the same time.

St K 14-7 119
Geel 14-7 118
Adel 13-8 123
WB 13-8 101

SYD 12-9 118
NM 12-9 113
WC 12-10 109
Bris 10-1-10 108

PA 10-1-10 93
Carl 10-11 97
Freo 10-11 94

Fri night WC v Bris
Bris needing a win to lock off a finals spot. WC could still sneak a top 4 spot should other results fall their way. Bris lead at half time 6.11 to 6.6 but West Coast get the win. A spot in the 8 is now up for grabs from the chasing pack of 3 and WC now sits in the top 4 needing the Bulldogs and Swans to lose to stay there.

Sat Carl v Rich. A Carlton win would see them overtake Bris in 8th. Despite a 4 goal half time lead, Carl fail to kick a goal in the last qtr and lose by 7 pts. Bris remain in the eight and a nervous weekend ahead.

Sat Syd v Geel
A Syd win would take them over WC into top 4, Geel win would take them to top spot temporarily, a big win would put percentage pressure on the Saints. Less than a goal in it for 3 quarters however a 5 goal to 4 final qtr sees the Cats prevail. WC hold onto 4th for now but the very narrow win means Geel needs St K to lose.

Sat Melb v Freo
Melb sat rank last by 5 games and were taking on a Freo side who were within touching distance of a first finals appearance in their third season. After a dour first half Melb explodes with a 13 goal second half and Freo are out of the finals picture. Brisbane STILL remain in 8th.

Sat Haw v WB
Bulldogs had to win to lock away a top 4 spot and did so after trailing at qtr time. WC now drop out of the top 4.

Sun Adel v Ess
Adel hopes of a top 2 finish and 2 home finals needed a win and for St Kilda to falter. Adelaide leads by almost 5 goals at half time however Essendon outscore the Crows 12 goals to 6 after half time to win by 4 pts.

Sun Coll v North M
North started the round needing a win to keep a home final however are beaten by a Magpies team by inaccurate kicking 15.21.

Sun St Kilda v Port Adel
Now to the final H&A game of the round and the season. A St Kilda win to finish top. A PA win to overtake Bris into 8th in their inaugural AFL season. Port lead at half time, a goal down at 3qt but the Saints overrun the Power in the last to take top spot and Bris make the finals.

In the final analysis Brisbane finish in 8th on 10-1-11, Port Adelaide 9th on the same, and 4 teams 10-13th on 10-12.

 

[flamethrower]

I was at the Footscray v Melbourne game too, and remember being pretty confident that the Dogs run all over the Dees in the last quarter, even though they were only 6 points in front. I still remember the roar from the Melbourne fans when Hawthorn hit the front at Kardinia Park - the Dogs were gone by then, so the group of Footscray fans I was with were all hoping the Demons make the finals.

It was amazing that Footscray were even that close to the top 5, considering that they lost their 1st 3 games by 59 points to Essendon, 108 points to Sydney and 87 points to Carlton. They were last with a percentage of 41.

 

[Buzzasto DaSilva]

Stood behind the goals at the Geelong Road end.
It was chockers.
Also the game where Garry Lyon broke his leg.

I feel like this isn't the first time I have heard about that game.....

 

[GROTTO]

Spoken like someone who wasn't born before 2002.

Basking in victories circa 21st century is not exactly something to be proud of when the Carlton has collected yet another wooden spoon in 2018 and will yet again be planed in the bottom 4 of the table yet again next year in 2019.

But go on celebrate a win in the 1980s if you must.

 

[Thrawn]

Basking in victories circa 21st century is not exactly something to be proud of when the Carlton has collected yet another wooden spoon in 2018 and will yet again be planed in the bottom 4 of the table yet again next year in 2019.

But go on celebrate a win in the 1980s if you must.

Might want to check the thread title ya nitwit.

 

[GROTTO]

Might want to check the thread title ya nitwit.

You started by making it personal. So go EAD.

 

[Thrawn]

You started by making it personal. So go EAD.

How was it personal? Are you that sensitive when I'm calling you a teenager? Take that box of kleenex, go to your safe space and hug that teddy bear.

Carlton wasn't always s**t, and since this thread is talking about '87 (where Carlton actually won a flag), your comment was spoken like a true teenager.

 

[GROTTO]

How was it personal? Are you that sensitive when I'm calling you a teenager? Take that box of kleenex, go to your safe space and hug that teddy bear.

Carlton wasn't always s**t, and since this thread is talking about '87 (where Carlton actually won a flag), your comment was spoken like a true teenager.

Carlton have been s**t post 2000.

Really never ever been flag chance in any year since then.

Take care champ.