The '90s

[frenchconnection]

Not saying those mentioned weren't brilliant footballers, but I feel like those individual goal totals were as much a product of the style of play as anything else. There was a perfect combination of attacking ability and intent, along with the last bastions of primitive defensive structures and a lack of tackling pressure.

Personally think the game of the 90's and before was very unique - there was not a game anywhere in the world like it and can remember a few of my American friends used to love watching it for the high marking and toughness of the game. They couldn't understand why the players weren't padded up like in American football. Those same friends now say to me - "why did they barstardise the game - it used to be so enjoyable to watch and so different". Unfortunately today it is just a combination of rugby, basketball and with a bit of soccer thrown in. It's a shame. As many many have said over the years "Leave the game alone!"

 

[Rusty Brookes]

Of course most Hawks fans probably won't be feeling this thread ..

I still maintain 1998 was a terrific season to be a Hawthorn supporter. We won the last five games of the year and it felt like the defeat of the merger was actually the right thing to do. Record membership, a team on the rise, etc. Even 1999: one of my favourite football memories is beating Geelong by two points in the second last round of the year. Awesome game followed by what seemed to be a convoy of Hawthorn supporters driving down Dandenong Rd to see X play at the Esplanade Hotel in St Kilda.

 

[Daniel B]

Today's game is horrendous!!! there no space at for the good players to show us their skills.

I would have to disagree. Back then it was more about the skill of the individual, as it still is with many other sports. Now it's much more about the combined skills of the team moving the ball together. Seeing one of the best midfield running teams in action gliding the ball from one end to the other as one synchronised unit is poetry in motion.

The best coaches of the late 90s and early 2000s figured out that a skillful team was more powerful than a number of skillful individuals; hence the saying that was popular at the time, "A champion team will always beat a team of champions."

Bring on the future!

 

[Johnny Karate]

It's not just the bags of goals or the game's "aesthetics" in the 90's that stack up. Fan experience was a lot better also.

You could watch a curtain raiser before the game or have a conversation with the person next to you rather than being bombarded with endless corporate pap from a PA system turned up way too loud. You didn't get shunted off into the nosebleed section of an empty stadium if you dared to buy a ticket at the gate. You could buy a beer that wasn't flat mid strength. You wouldn't have to walk down 37 flights of stairs to buy something because there was somebody employed to walk around the aisles with hot pies, cold drinks and chocolate bars. You could have a kick on the ground after the game. You could get in the ground without being frisked beforehand. You also weren't treated with disdain for bringing in food that wasn't provided by the stadium's approved caterer.

 

[Cudi_420]

For the few in this thread having a good at those of us being all nostalgic, I never said in my OP that I don't like the modern game, just that the 90s stands out for me because I was young but that I also think it stands out as being the end of the pure forward era. Today's game is very different, far more reliant on the contested ball, possession and pressure, whereas back then it was all about getting the ball to your key forward and letting them do the work. Strategically and structurally it was much simpler, debatable whether that makes for a better game but I do believe it made for a more entertaining one. The modern game is all about core strength. Back then it was brute force and scoring ability. In 2017 more often than not it's defensive minimization with the hope that you are as effective forward of the ball as you are behind the ball. This change came during the Roos Sydney era imo, it really changed the game and has slowly evolved into the game it is today.

 

[Rusty Brookes]

C'mon Johnny Karate.

I fully remember being bombarded for ads for Hungry Jacks in the 90s. I stand in the same spot now that I did in the 90s at the MCG. I buy full strength beer (well at least at day games). They still have pie boys. I've had a kick on the ground with my son (admittedly not as often as I'd like). Not that much has changed from the 90s to the modern era.

 

[pazza]

Not everything about 90s footy was great.

We lost some of the game's soul as one by one the suburban grounds died off.

Windy Hill (1991)
Western Oval (1997)
Victoria Park (1999)
Waverley (1999)

All gone.

On the field it was fun.

 

[Grrr]

Here we go, yet another excuse for the 'things were so much better in the good old days, my mind is trapped in a timewarp' drones to come out from their stinking, festering holes.
I attended my first game of Australian football in 1975, and have been going non-stop since. Footy was great in the 70s and 80s, it was great in the 90s, great in the 2000s and it's still just as great, if not more so, now. Just for slightly different reasons, as the game changes and evolves.
It'll be great in the 2030s too.

I hear what you are saying, but the congestion of much of today's game makes it a little hard to watch. But when you get a good game it is as good as ever. I guess the nail biting finishes and comebacks are great, I just miss the Keith Gregg's, Robbie Flower's, Doug Hawkins, Ablett's etc. in full flow.

 

[Damon_3388]

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray....

Poor old Johnny Rayyyyy...

 

[Damon_3388]

The one on one contests were the best

Never really understood why people lust over and pine for one on one contests in such a large team sport, but that's just me.

 

[psychobrown]

An ancient, mythical era, when forwards kicked straighter and I had no idea about their personal lives

 

[demondavey]

Never really understood why people lust over and pine for one on one contests in such a large team sport, but that's just me.

Watching Sav Rocca outmark Mick Martyn one on one for example and kicking one right in the square?

 

[Damon_3388]

An ancient, mythical era, when forwards kicked straighter and I had no idea about their personal lives

Mythical indeed.

For every Plugger or Dunstall, there was an Allen Jakovich or Simon Minton-Connell.

 

[Snake_Baker]

... seeing a side lose by 10 goals, but scoring 140 points themselves was not unheard of

There were some freak swings also in games during the era.

Rd 1 1990: Melbourne def North by 57 points
Rd 14 1990: North def Melbourne by 127 points

I think the 184 point result swing is the highest recorded in a single season.

 

[Leon]

The end of an era for so many grounds in Victoria - Western Oval, Windy Hill*, Victoria Park, Waverley Park, Moorabbin.





*Essendon fans - did windy hill go in the late 80's or early 90's? Can't remember.

 

[Snake_Baker]

No one topped Allen jackovich. He was the 90s.

View attachment 389694

Freak, took 14 marks and kicked 11.8 on Mick Martyn when he went through a white hot patch of 49 goals in only 7 matches during the 1991 season.

 

[saintal]

Love that 90s doco (still got it on VHS). Started following footy seriously in the early 90s as a youngster. The attacking flair made the game fantastic in that era. Kicking the ball around the backlines 4 or 5 times before switching play wasn't a consideration, rather it was attack at all costs. As others have mentioned there were more specialist positions and roles in the game.

Watched Fitzroy's last win in 1996 v Freo on youtube recently. Two terrible teams in front of a very modest (but very engaged/vocal crowd), but it was thoroughly enjoyable watching that style of footy. The crowd mobbed the players after the game. Very spontaneous and raw.

The suburban grounds had their own personality, as did the clubs themselves.

The highlight of the 90s? 1997 obviously, and the Saints toppling North on a cold Friday night in September.

The AFL felt more like a sporting competition rather than an entertainment package or industry as it can now. Off the field there were far fewer people trying to make a buck out of it which has seen a plethora of cringe-worthy 'personalities' emerge and a general over exposure of the league.

Still enjoy/watch the game in it's current state, but it doesn't captivate and intrigue quite like it once did.

 

[Goggin Our Best]

It's not just the bags of goals or the game's "aesthetics" in the 90's that stack up. Fan experience was a lot better also.

You could have a kick on the ground after the game. You could get in the ground without being frisked beforehand. You also weren't treated with disdain for bringing in food that wasn't provided by the stadium's approved caterer.

I went to a Geel v Ess game in the early 90s down at KP - might have been on a Sunday

When the reserves game finished - spectators/supporters were allowed on the ground to kick the footy - there was probably about 1000 people out on the ground kicking the footy around till the senior game started !!

I dont know if that was allowed at any other suburban ground at the time- but it was allowed at Geelong at that time

 

[Rabman]

Reducing interchange would help bring back a bit of the 90's back into the modern game however really love the modern game. Think today's game is more about defence first and stopping the opposition from playing and getting the game on our terms (a lot more tactical). Pretty much all the teams of the last decade have won the flag due to being the best defensively. Coaches will coach to win these days, not to entertain, if a bloke kicked 12 goals in todays game we'd be talking about why the oppo coach allowed that to happen not praising the forwards performance.

 

[BigVic]

On field the game was better than it is today but off field the same cannot be said. My Eagles played in every Finals series in the 90s, appearing in 3 grand finals winning 2 during that era coached by Mick Malthouse

Melbourne and Hawthorn almost merged, we saw Fitzroy's demise and the end of suburban grounds. What was the media like in the 90s and how were the games covered on Channel 7?!?

 

[afl genius]

Crazy watching old games how little tactics were used. Bench was hardly used. Teams would let Plugger,Carey,Ablett play one out and not put a extra back. Still it was entertaining

 

[PP34]

Born in 1996 so missed the 90s, but have watched my fair share of '90s footy. Definitely a great decade of footy, helped by having two amazing forwards in Carey and Ablett along with a host of other star forwards. The game was definitely more free flowing. The natural progression of the sport has pretty much killed that. Players have become fitter, more and more athletes are playing the game and coaches actually have elaborate structures to shut down teams these days.

I think people hating on today's footy are being pretty ridiculous. Other than the awful mid 2000s period where Roos' Swans and other awful to watch teams like that had a pretty big impact I think footy has been very watchable in modern times. The Hawks dynasty in particular. I despised them but gee the footy was good. Precise, teamwork based footy which relied heavily on their skills. I'd honestly much rather watch that than some of the games or teams in previous decades that get forgotten about because of selective memory who bombed the ball to contests and weren't really that skilled.

 

[Frank Gallagher]

I hate sounding anything like KB, but it was all about the big bags that drew me into footy as a youngster in the 90's.

I'd watch Plugga, Ablett Snr, Dunstall, Modra, Rocca, Carey, Lloyd and Richo every week just to see how many goals they'd kick. I'd then marvel at how the race to the Coleman would chop and change and project how likely each would kick a ton.

I do miss those days.

80s were more about bags IMO, all's we got was an hour of highlights on a Saturday night and everyone wanted to know how many Plugger and Dunstal kicked, a smart man could've brought the television rights for a song in those days.

 

[brucetiki]

On field the game was better than it is today but off field the same cannot be said. My Eagles played in every Finals series in the 90s, appearing in 3 grand finals winning 2 during that era coached by Mick Malthouse

Melbourne and Hawthorn almost merged, we saw Fitzroy's demise and the end of suburban grounds. What was the media like in the 90s and how were the games covered on Channel 7?!?

Saturday arvo for Victorian games you'd have Peter Landy and Peter McKenna calling. Landy was on the decline and McKenna was well past it and was the 90's answer to BT.

Friday night footy took hold and by the mid-late 90's it was Bruce, Tim Watson and Ian Robinson on Friday night's. Bruce used to predominantly do Adelaide games (much like Dennis was the voice for West Coast games) before his move to Sydney for Statsworld, I mean Sportsworld saw him do mostly Sydney games outside of Friday night.

There were also quite a few solid intros for 7's coverage, the last of which were 'Rockin Footy'

 

[Angus Young]

I was just watching a documentary called "The '90s: The Decade That Delivered", which is basically like the "That Was The Season That Was ..." annual documentaries that ran until the mid-90s, but instead covered the whole decade instead of a single season

I loved this decade because it was more of an "introductory" phase for me, I'd been following and supporting since maybe 1991 but it wasn't until 1994 that I started really remembering and "barracking". Between 1994 and 1999 I was 8-13 years old, so a lot of the things that happened in that period really stick with me because it was part of "growing up".

It would be great to hear some stories and memories from "90s kids" that grew up during this era and started following AFL then. I was born in '86 so the 90s and early 2000s were my schooling years, and I was obviously very influenced and inspired by this time in my life.

Looking back over the years and thinking of AFL in the 2000s and 2010s, the 90s really stand out for me, but again I can't quite tell if it's because I'm biased or because it genuinely was a fantastic decade.

Part of the reason why I think the 90s stands out is because it was when the league made the transition from amateur to pro league. The addition of interstate teams here was obviously very important. You could tell that the quality of talent and everything about the sport was growing.

On that point, I loved the interstate rivalry that existed in the 90s, and I wish that passion returned. It arguably died with Teddy Whitten. These days it's kind of "My club is better than yours" or "My city is better than yours" and it's very bitter and petty in comparison.

The obvious standout from this decade was the "pure" full forward. Lockett, Dunstall, Ablett, Modra,. You'd often see guys like Salmon, Lyon, Kernahan, Longmire kick massive bags of 6+. And of course, Carey. I try to explain to friends and my girlfriend what it was like going to football in the 90s. The best modern day example is probably Buddy, but he wasn't a rarity in the 90s, there was so much pure, perfect talent running around then, guys that could do no wrong and always hit a target, brush off tackles, kick it post high from 60 out. To me Buddy Franklin is the closest thing we get to a 90s forward. That kind of player that puts bums on seats.

The 90s was an okay decade for me Demons, I don't remember much of the 1990 and 1991 finals, but I fondly remembering the ANZAC Day game vs Essendon in 1992, when we led by 8 goals at 3 1/4 time and still lost, and when Sydney won its one and only game of the year against us in 1993. The merger game was massive but I remember not quite understanding the severity of it. I was just thinking of the potential of a Melbourne-Hawks merger and what the team would look like, but I also remember my dead having a "NO MERGEr" banner, which I think is still at home. I was at the merger game -- it's on YouTube here -- and I remember Dunstall kicking his 100th for the year.

I saw Lockett, Ablett and Dunstall kick their 100th goal. I saw Carey go on tears and kick 11 goals against us. I remember a game against Geelong in 1993, Melbourne won by 14 points, but Ablett kicked 11.0 lol

Anyway, enough of my memories. What did you love about the 90s? Your fondest memories?

great post OP

these are special time in your life u will never forget...u will always look back

The 90's were great..the game was still brutal, night footy and Wayne Carey.

Grand Finals seemed way more special/a bigger event than now...watching the channel 7 marathon the night before etc. getting up early watching every minute. I dont know maybe it was my age but Grand Finals/Grand Final day just seemed bigger.