Club History The 1999 Prelim

[Stopher]

There's been a lot of negativity flying around our board lately, so I thought what better way to channel it all into one big ball of destruction than to reminisce on what is probably the hardest loss most of us would've experienced as supporters.

Were you there? If not, what were you doing? How did you react? Who did you feel deserved the bulk of the blame?

Go on, take out your frustration similar to what my little brother's toy car copped seconds after the final siren. LET IT OUT!

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

We’re down that’s it’s Prelim week and we haven’t been in one for 18 years and you post a thread on worst game of our Bomber lives? You heartless bastard!

 

[Haychh]

JUST KICK THE ******* BALL DEAN

 

[Stopher]

We’re down that’s it’s Prelim week and we haven’t been in one for 18 years and you post a thread on worst game of our Bomber lives? You heartless bastard!

I mean, you can make a very good argument that we benefited more from that loss than they did.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a bunch of supporters care less about the small matter of losing a Grand Final. That was the pinnacle for them. Also, the excess payments to get that era of players together ended up being VERY costly a few years later.

At least you can say the pain of that loss spurred Essendon on to a devastating 2000 season and a pretty damn good 2001.

 

[TheBrightSide]

Too soon mate.
Too soon.

 

[EnolaGay]

Well, here’s my story.

In 1999 I was into my 19th year of living in Adelaide after relocating from Melbourne with my mum and dad as a primary school kid. That year at my workplace they had the standard Footy Tipping competition and I worked in a reasonably big organisation so the first prize was descent - 2 tickets the the AFL Grand Final, air fares, accommodation and Grand Final breakfast at the North Melbourne function (yuck).

Well, being a footy educated ex-Melbourne boy, I had a bit of a head start on most of the South Aussies in terms of knowledge of the broader AFL competition rather than just the Crows and Power. I had a dream run in the competition, sitting at or near the top for most of the season. I made a promise to my 69 year old mum (a lifetime Bombers supporter) that if I won the tipping I’d take her to the GF.

As the season progressed, my tipping performance mirrored my Mighty Bombers and by the end of the minor round I had achieved a convincing win and the prize was mine.

“Mum, we’re off to the grand final to see the Bombers! How good is this?”

We sat back in our lounge in Adelaide and watched as we dispatched Sydney in the Qualifying final to book a spot in the Prelim. Everything was falling into place. We were going to see our team win their 16th Cup, only Carlton and then likely North would be the stepping stones to the Premiership. Both teams we had defeated twice in the minor rounds, with North being the next best team in the comp after us but we had the wood on them.

I will never forget the 18 of September 1999. 17 points up at the start of the last quarter, the excitement of our trip to see the GF building....only to see Kouta, Wally and Fraser ******* Brown piss all over it.

The next week was just as painful an experience. Taking my dear old mum to see Norf versus Carlolton. It was such a s**t game, the scum no match for Norf, they’d won the their GF the week prior. Sitting their thinking that we would have comfortably accounted for Norf made it even more difficult to stomach.

* the end to that season sucked!

* Norf. * Carlolton.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Haychh]

Saw this video pop up on Facebook the other day just had to do some digging to find it again. Nice little 5 minute vid with Sheeds and Lloydy. At around the 3:30 mark they bring up the 99 season and how that kicked them into gear and was the driving force behind the 2000 season.

Not a bad watch ignoring the shameless Jim Beam advertising, which is bullshit because we all know Lloydy is a Breezer man.

 

[NAB777]

People forget who we had out that day.

 

[Matthew_Lloyd]

I was 4 years old and had NFI what Aussie rules was at the time. Lucky too, as I live with a family and extended family of diehard Carlton supporters. I'd have never lived it down lol

 

[Doss]

People forget who we had out that day.

Hird, Lucas and JJ. Three very big outs.

 

[ep2018]

You'd have beaten them under a fair system. We had to play Carlton at the MCG due to the then bullshit MCG rule. Had they played us in Perth and won I doubt they'd have gotten up coming back from Perth.

 

[Cuzz09]

I went.

Was crazy.

I was a bit annoyed as I wanted a NM v ESS GF.

Reckon that had the makings of a classic.

On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[BrewSmackerVeiny]

I was at home, i was 10, I cried.

 

[VelvetSledge]

**** this thread. 7 year old sledge was not ready for this kind of heartbreak

 

[mike14]

I was a month shy of turning 18 and was at the game. I remember being pissed off at the final siren, and almost immediately being angry that we'd handed North a premiership (which is kind of weird as the Blues had just knocked us off). Walked from the G home to Heidelberg to avoid the dickheads that were always on the train after a Carlton game, and by the time I got home I was pretty calm and accepting of the result.

Have always felt that Wallis cops too much blame. Sure he was a limited a footballer, but taking the game on there was probably actually the right move, and with a bit more awareness as well as support from his teammates we would have got the extra 2-3 steps he needed.

As others have mentioned it did seem to seed the ruthlessness of the 2000 season

 

[DapperJong]

I was a Carlton supporter at the time so I was all g

 

[Lore]

I was a Carlton supporter at the time so I was all g

It’s the year I was a north supporter... but I don’t actually remember it

 

[DapperJong]

It’s the year I was a north supporter... but I don’t actually remember it

I was joking!!! Oh no Lore!!

 

[Stopher]

You'd have beaten them under a fair system. We had to play Carlton at the MCG due to the then bulls**t MCG rule. Had they played us in Perth and won I doubt they'd have gotten up coming back from Perth.

To be fair, we benefited from the same stupid system in 1996. Basically, it was when 'Vic bias' was actually a thing!

 

[rumply]

Too soon mate.
Too soon.

absolutely & it always will be.

GF packages were booked & paid for, myself & a mate heading down from Darwin for our first GF, sat down & watched this ******* campaigner of a game, I'd been Essington'd before but nothing like this...

 

[Lore]

I was joking!!! Oh no Lore!!

 

[Squeaky]

JUST KICK THE ******* BALL DEAN

This x 100,000,000,000,000
(or give it to Fletch you dickhead!)

 

[TheBrightSide]

absolutely & it always will be.

GF packages were booked & paid for, myself & a mate heading down from Darwin for our first GF, sat down & watched this ******* campaigner of a game, I'd been Essington'd before but nothing like this...

I remember the week leading up to the Prelim, I was putting my feelers out for GF tickets.
It didn’t even seem like a possibility that we would lose.

I was at the game, behind the goals at the Punt Road end. I still thought we were going to win, right up until the time that Wallis got a bit too ambitious.

I’ve since heard a story about the game. During the 3rd quarter, Gary Moorcroft got stuck into Craig Bradly, calling him an old coot. (Or something quite similar). Bradly was a much loved and respected player amongst Carlton, and this was highlighted at the 3 quarter time huddle. It fired them up big time, and they had a huge last quarter.

The only highlight of that day was that Kennett lost the state election, and Hymie got in.
I usually don’t care at all about politics, but Kennett was a privatising prick.

 

[Squeaky]

I would have taken the Essendon/Kennett double!!

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Somebody pls perma ban the OP