The '81 Grand Final

[HorseHead]

I just finished watching it on ABC-2 before. I was only a young lad at the time, so it was interesting to watch the game a quarter of a century later. Did anybody else see it? Another one we should have won...

 

[hotpie]

Blame Peter Moore.

He played when clearly injured and unable to see the game out.

 

[HorseHead]

Blame Peter Moore.

He played when clearly injured and unable to see the game out.

To be fair, he did a few useful things, but you're right, he certainly looked like he struggled. He appeared totally unable to chase and tackle anybody. Understandable that he would want to have played after being there in 77, 79 and 80, but there's no way you're going to be close to even 75% after doing your hamstring only a couple of weeks earlier. And don't get me started on that Twomey kick for goal he dropped right on the line, resulting in a point...

I noticed we got absolutely smacked in the ruck, with Fitpatrick completely dominating the hit-outs. Mark Dreher went in and out of the ruck, but looked all at sea. I wonder what our other options were in terms of a replacement for Moore...

 

[crudbucket]

I noticed we got absolutely smacked in the ruck, with Fitpatrick completely dominating the hit-outs. Mark Dreher went in and out of the ruck, but looked all at sea. I wonder what our other options were in terms of a replacement for Moore...

Derek Shaw (God help us all!)

 

[MarkT]

Blame Peter Moore.

He played when clearly injured and unable to see the game out.

Blame Hafey. It was his decision and he knew Moore could barely walk.

 

[Lonie_from_50]

Blame the Collywobbles

 

[hotpie]

Blame Hafey. It was his decision and he knew Moore could barely walk.

Blame them equally. In fact the club did, because both were gone soon after.

 

[MarkT]

Blame them equally. In fact the club did, because both were gone soon after.

Don’t disagree that both should take their fair share but Moore walked for money while the club sacked Hafey. His GF failures may have been part of the reason but as much as anything the disharmony between players and coach lead at least in part by Moore was probably a bigger part. Basically peter Moore acted to get Hafey sacked and then walked out on the club for Melbourne’s money. I don’t begrudge their right to do that but they forfeit their spot in Collingwood’s heart if they do it as far as I’m concerned. Off the point though.

 

[HorseHead]

On the subject of Moore leaving Collingwood (also mentions Hafey):-

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/06/07/1054700441283.html

The Moore things change

By Martin Blake
June 08 2003

A Brownlow medallist departs his original club, taking his angst with him. Fans feel cheated. The wounds won't heal for anyone. It all sounds dreadfully familiar to Peter Moore.

Twenty years ago, he experienced similar emotions. A brilliant and athletic ruckman, twice Copeland Trophy- winner and club captain, Moore walked out on the Magpies, and to this day he has fans approach him, telling of their devastation at the time.

He was pilloried by Collingwood people for the remaining five years of his career at Melbourne and only has to turn on the television set to see one face who encapsulates the feeling.

''Eddie (McGuire) hasn't forgiven me,'' laughed Moore this week. ''He probably never will.''

Moore hopes and believes that Shane Woewodin will be spared when he runs out in a Collingwood jumper to play against the Demons tomorrow, for Woewodin was unashamedly traded by a Melbourne administration with salary-cap troubles.


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Moore went of his own volition; indeed he took restraint of trade action against Collingwood to get to Mel bourne at the end of 1982, the Magpies ultimately caving in to take whatever transfer fee they could get so that the court action did not go ahead.

An unsuspecting Woewodin, a six-year Demon, found out out he was being traded while on holiday in Mauritius last October.

Moore says he regrets having made his decision at all. Woewodin has said he is ''filthy'' on Melbourne, especially for revealing some details of his contract to supporters at the club's annual general meeting.

Also, he has said he hopes Collingwood gives Melbourne ''a spanking'' as retribution.

In Moore's case, most of the pain has subsided. In 2000, he went back to Collingwood as a ''mentor'' for some of the players. Though he is no longer filling that role, focusing upon his mining business and travelling regularly to the United States, he regards himself primarily as a Collingwood person, attending the ''occasional'' game.

Woewodin has invited several Melbourne players to his wedding at Rottnest Island at the end of this year. But he could not bring himself to return a phone message from his old coach, Neale Daniher. Plainly, he needs more time before he can return to the club in any sense.

The story of Peter Moore's departure from Victoria Park in December 1982 is symbolic of the dramatic changes occurring in football back then. The VFL's so- called ''10-year rule'' had enabled a cluster of big-name players to go to North Melbourne and win premierships in 1975 and 1977.

In '83, Moore's first year with the Demons, St Kilda would defy the transfer rules with the recruiting of Silvio Foschini and Shane Morwood from Sydney and the competition's shoddy rules collapsed.

Culturally, football people were still coming to terms with the willy-nilly transfer of players between clubs, the con cept of your hero sleeping with the enemy.

Moore signed a five-year deal with Melbourne reported to be worth more than $300,000, which - incomprehensively now - made him the highest-paid player in the VFL. Kelvin Templeton, another Brownlow med allist, also was lured by the Demons from Footscray.

For Moore, the salary reflected his standing in the game. As the prototype model for the modern, running ruckman, he had won the Brownlow with Collingwood in 1979; he went on to win another in Melbourne colours in 1984.

The drama of his move cannot be understated. He was just 25 at the time, and unique in the way he played. And this was Collingwood.

''I wasn't dirty on him, but I remember being disappointed from a selfish point of view,'' says Peter Daicos, who was playing with Moore at the time. ''Collingwood was built around Peter Moore in a way. I remember getting belted by Essendon in the preliminary (final) in `84 and thinking: 'We could have done with 'Moorey'.''

All these years later, Moore admits it was pique that drove him to do it. Collingwood had endured a dreadful year in 1982, sacking Tom Hafey and replacing him with Mick Erwin during the season, tumbling to 10th after five consecutive years of top-three finishes under Hafey.

These were tumultuous times for the club, and they signalled the arrival of the new Magpies administration under Ranald Macdonald.

As captain, Moore tangled with the committee over the sacking of Hafey, or at least, the methodology. ''I got hung out to dry as the scapegoat over that,'' he said.

''I think his (Hafey's) time was up, but I disagreed with the way it was handled. They were happy to leave me out to dry because it took the pressure off them.''

Ron Barassi was coaching Melbourne in a much-heralded return to the Demons, and Moore was an admirer of the famous hot gospeller. ''I made a decision and it was probably an immature decision at the time. It was an ill-considered decision and it was one that if I had my time again I probably wouldn't make.''

Moore admits he savagely underestimated the depth of people's feelings. His first game for Melbourne, by chance, was against Collingwood at the MCG in round one of 1983.

Collingwood's banner sheeted the blame home for the club's slide: NO MOORE TROUBLE AT COLLINGWOOD. Up in the stands, someone hung a banner over the balcony saying: MOORE FILTH.

Moore played below his best, falling into the trap of trying too hard. Upset at the banner, he investigated legal action but ultimately withdrew.

''As a player, I never really understood how passionate the fans were and how strongly they felt about the club and the players. It was something I only fully understood later. I didn't grasp what a significant event it was for the captain to leave - you can imagine if Nathan Buckley did it today. I didn't realise the extent to which it devastated people and I regret that I wasn't totally con scious of that.''

He believes Woewodin will get none of that treatment. ''I think in the circumstances in which he left, the Melbourne people will be quite supportive of him. He's an honest, hardworking person and it wasn't his choice to leave. I think they would wish him well.''

Moore says he has a chuckle these days at the traffic between clubs, and most of the time, the lack of controversy that goes with it. ''People aren't surprised by it today. There's not much loyalty either way from what I can see. I'm not sure it matters what colour the jumper is.''

 

[jimmy35]

It's another GF loss but take a look at the talent in the two sides , that's what makes me proud in that era , the guts to be the 4th , 5th or even worse , best side 'talent wise ' in those Hafey years ,yet with a tad more good fortune may have had 3 more flags.

Two big differences for mine , Carlton always felt they could win that '81 Gf and Pies were just hanging in there and you got the feeling ' if only they can hang on to that lead at 3/4 time' but a couple of late Carlton goals and the heads dropped and body language showed it was gone.

 

[HorseHead]

It's another GF loss but take a look at the talent in the two sides , that's what makes me proud in that era , the guts to be the 4th , 5th or even worse , best side 'talent wise ' in those Hafey years ,yet with a tad more good fortune may have had 3 more flags.

I'd agree with that totally. I've actually watched the '77 (both of them), '79 and '80 Grand Finals recently as well. Carlton were definitely a class above us, especially in 1981. Bosustow, Hunter, Harmes, Fitzpatrick and Doull were all very good players. It's obvious we just didn't have that calibre of player across the board. Alot of honest battlers, but not many "superstar"-type players.

Considering we finished fifth, we basically should not have even made the Grand Final in 1980. Melbourne were to repeat the experience eight years later, getting flogged by Hawthorn by almost 100 points in the big one.

Having watched all of those games in recent times, it's absolutely staggering to me that we didn't pinch just one of them. God we seem to have some shocking luck in finals matches. You have to really feel for the players like Kink and Moore who played in all of the GFs and came away without a premiership to their name (IIRC, Kink went on to play for Essendon in the 1983 GF when they were mauled by Hawthorn, taking his tally to six unsuccessful Grand Finals).

One thing I'll never forget about Tom Hafey and Collingwood: I remember a game at Victoria Park, it must have been around 1983/84. Hafey had since gone on to coach Geelong, who we were playing this particular day. At the end of one of the quarter breaks, as Hafey walked off the ground to resume his position in the coaches box, the Collingwood fans gave him a standing ovation. That's always stuck with me for some reason.

 

[jimmy35]

One thing I'll never forget about Tom Hafey and Collingwood: I remember a game at Victoria Park, it must have been around 1983/84. Hafey had since gone on to coach Geelong, who we were playing this particular day. At the end of one of the quarter breaks, as Hafey walked off the ground to resume his position in the coaches box, the Collingwood fans gave him a standing ovation. That's always stuck with me for some reason.

I wasn't there but I remember that happening at some time. Pies fans didn't blame Hafey , he led us where no one else would have at that time.

 

[ShepBoy]

Thorold Merrett blasting Barham in the 3/4 time huddle for squibbing didnt help.

But we actually lost it in R22 losing to Fitzroy at home in the bog and surrendering top spot. If we had held on to top spot and had the weeks rest, we would have had a better chance.

Remember we had beaten Carlton in both games during the year. They werent that much better than us skill wise.

 

[ShepBoy]

Hafey barracked for Collingwood as a boy.

 

[NICK THE PIE MAN]

Thorold Merrett blasting Barham in the 3/4 time huddle for squibbing didnt help.

Ohhh..so that did happen?

I heard an old myth that a Collingwood official got stuck into some of the side and deflated them at 3/4 time in the '81 GF but never heard the actual story.

 

[HorseHead]

Ohhh..so that did happen?

I heard an old myth that a Collingwood official got stuck into some of the side and deflated them at 3/4 time in the '81 GF but never heard the actual story.

Tony Shaw wrote about it in his book, which I think was called A Shaw Thing from memory. Definitely not a myth. He named the official who did it (can't remember if it was Thorold Merrett or not), saying that the blast occurred in front of the whole playing group before Hafey had even had a chance to utter a word.

Edit: Thinking back on the replay on tv the other night, I can only assume the blast from Merrett related to Ricky Barham taking a definite backward step to a charging Bruce Doull on Collingwood's half-forward line during the thrid quarter.

 

[jimmy35]

Tony Shaw wrote about it in his book, which I think was called A Shaw Thing from memory. Definitely not a myth. He named the official who did it (can't remember if it was Thorold Merrett or not), saying that the blast occurred in front of the whole playing group before Hafey had even had a chance to utter a word.

It was Merrett that Tony Shaw wrote about , distracted the whole group at the 3/4 time break.

 

[ShepBoy]

It was Merrett that Tony Shaw wrote about , distracted the whole group at the 3/4 time break.

Yes that is what I said.

 

[MarkT]

But we actually lost it in R22 losing to Fitzroy at home in the bog and surrendering top spot. If we had held on to top spot and had the weeks rest, we would have had a better chance.

Is that the match where Geaoff Miles took a screamer in the goal square at the Sherrin Stand end that wasn't paid? IIRC he could have kicked the winner if the mark was paid?

Or is my memory fading badly?

 

[MarkT]

Time on in the 3rd killed us. We had the game won until then. The reality is Carlton finished stronger from time on in the 3rd and not because of Merritt but because Hafey didn’t freshen players up and because he played a lame Moore and effectively went in a player short when he was not a good user of the i9nterchange bench. No doubt Merritt didn’t help the cause though. Watching the game from time on in the 3rd was as hard as anything I’ve endured as a Collingwood supporter. I could see a premiership slip away and knew it was happening as it unfolded.

In 2002 we also lost a flag in time on although it was spread over 4 time ons. Then of course there are the famous 1964, 1966 and 1979 final minute events, although 1979 might have been a bit m ore from the end. If only GF’s went a few minutes shorter each quarter we’d have half a dozen more of ‘em in the bag!

 

[HorseHead]

Is that the match where Geaoff Miles took a screamer in the goal square at the Sherrin Stand end that wasn't paid? IIRC he could have kicked the winner if the mark was paid?

Or is my memory fading badly?

Geoff Miles didn't play in that match. I suspect he didn't join us until 1982.

 

[HorseHead]

Time on in the 3rd killed us. We had the game won until then. The reality is Carlton finished stronger from time on in the 3rd and not because of Merritt but because Hafey didn’t freshen players up and because he played a lame Moore and effectively went in a player short when he was not a good user of the i9nterchange bench. No doubt Merritt didn’t help the cause though. Watching the game from time on in the 3rd was as hard as anything I’ve endured as a Collingwood supporter. I could see a premiership slip away and knew it was happening as it unfolded.

The other thing that people probably don't look at is the fact Carlton had almost kicked themselves out of the game to some extent. As far as actual possession went, it was fairly even. By the stage we were 21 points up late in the third quarter, we had kicked 10.10 to Carlton's 6.13.

In 2002 we also lost a flag in time on although it was spread over 4 time ons. Then of course there are the famous 1964, 1966 and 1979 final minute events, although 1979 might have been a bit m ore from the end. If only GF’s went a few minutes shorter each quarter we’d have half a dozen more of ‘em in the bag!

God, it must have been hard to be there for those. It's a terrible feeling.

I have very dim memories (if any at all) of the GFs prior to '81. I remember watching that on tv and getting very upset once Carlton hit the front in the last quarter.

The worst one I've seen on DVD would have to be the 1970 GF. As I sat there and watched Carlton finally take the lead with just a few minutes to go, I experienced this horrible feeling of dread I couldn't even begin to describe. It must have been absolutely devastating to the supporters, players and Bobby Rose that day.

 

[Blue Boyz]

I watched the '81 GF live as I did the 1970 and 1979 Carlton-C'wood epics and IHMO the Pies ran out of legs from time on in the 3rd quarter onwards.

The Carlton small man led by Ashman, Buckley and Sheldon had too much pace for their counterparts.

Interestingly to note that one of my friends is very good mates with Robert Hyde and the wrap from him was the players reckoned that Tommy T-shirt trained them far too hard in the week leading up the GF when they required was a short sharp session.

Comments?

 

[hotpie]

Interestingly to note that one of my friends is very good mates with Robert Hyde and the wrap from him was the players reckoned that Tommy T-shirt trained them far too hard in the week leading up the GF when they required was a short sharp session.

Comments?

Its a recurring theme. There are lot of stories about them being run into the ground after the draw 1977 final too, leaving them flat for the replay.

 

[HorseHead]

Its a recurring theme. There are lot of stories about them being run into the ground after the draw 1977 final too, leaving them flat for the replay.

I'm pretty certain Tony Shaw also mentioned in his book that Hafey did the same thing to the team in the lead-up to the 1980 Grand Final as well.